For frying, I prefer small smelts because the flavor is lighter and their compact bodies lend to frying very well. This is a very casual recipe that you can experiment with. Halve the quantity, if you like.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
5 to 6ouncesfresh smelts,the smaller the better
¼cupBob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free all-purpose flour blend(see Note for subbing)
1tablespooncornstarch or potato starch
Fine Sea Salt
⅛teaspoonMadras Curry Powder
1 to 2teaspoonsmilk(I used soy milk but cow’s milk is fine)
About 1 cup neutral oil,such as canola or peanut
Lemon wedges
Hot sauce
Instructions
Use a paper towel to pat excess moisture from the fish. Put them in a bowl and add the flour, starch, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and the curry powder. Toss the fish to lightly coat.
Transfer the fish to a plate or small baking sheet. Drizzle on 1 teaspoon of milk and use a spoon to turn and coat the fish. If they’re not wet looking, add milk by the ½ teaspoon.
Put the fish back into the flour bowl and toss to coat. (They’ll look chalky as they’re now double coated.). If you need more coating, add more flour, starch, salt and curry powder.
Pour oil into a wok to a depth of ½ inch. Set over medium heat. (If you want, protect the floor near the stove with newspaper.) When the oil is around 350F (test with a dry chopstick and the oil should immediately bubble around the chopstick), add as many fish as possible without crowding. Stir gently and turn the fish, as needed. When golden and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, use a spider to lift the fish from the oil. Hold the spider over the wok for a few seconds to allow oil to drip back, then deposit the fish onto a paper towel to drain.
Cool a few minutes, sprinkle extra salt on top and serve with lemon wedges and or hot sauce. Eat immediately!
Notes
Bob's Red Mill flour has a lots of rice flour and starches so it fries up nubby crisp. If you substitute regular wheat-based all-purpose flour, try ¼ cup and 2 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch, or 2 tablespoons rice flour, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch. Corn flour instead of rice flour may be nice too. Play with these little fish. You can experiment with half batches to see what works for your situation!