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Pan-fried smelt in flour

Pan-Fried Flour-Dredged Smelt

Simple, fast, and the tastiest dinner for the whole family! Smelt dredged in flour and fried in a skillet is the easiest way to cook this fish — and it still turns out really tasty and satisfying. If you've never had smelt, this is a great recipe to start with.

Anna

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Smelt

500

Flour

100

Vegetable oil

Salt

0.5

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 39 % 13 g

Fats 30 % 10 g

Carbohydrates 30 % 10 g

187 kcal

GI: 0 / 0 / 100

Cooking method

Cooking time: 20 min

Step 1:

How do you fry smelt in flour? Gather your ingredients. Fresh smelt is best. These days it's available in supermarkets year-round, but for the real flavor of smelt, buy it in spring. If yours is frozen, take it out ahead of time so it can thaw — the gentlest way is on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
Step 2:

Rinse and dry the fish. Small smelt have barely noticeable scales, so you can leave them on; scale larger fish.
Step 3:

Next, clean the smelt — cut off each fish's head and pull out the innards (they can make the fish taste bitter). Rinse the fish again under cold running water. If there's roe inside, many people recommend leaving it in — that's up to you. Pat the fish dry with paper towels.
Step 4:

In a handy bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Set a skillet with the vegetable oil over medium heat to warm up. Dredge each fish in the flour mixture and lay it in the hot pan. Alternatively, combine the flour and salt in a plastic bag and shake each fish in that — it keeps your dishes and counter clean.
Step 5:

Arrange the fish in the pan in loose rows, not packed too tight, so they don't fall apart when you flip them. Fry the smelt over medium heat, uncovered. First fry them 3 to 4 minutes on one side.
Step 6:

Then gently flip them and fry the other side until done.
Step 7:

Serve the finished pan-fried smelt hot. Rice or boiled potatoes make a great side for this fish, along with a fresh vegetable salad.

Keep in mind that how well you thaw your ingredients has a lot to do with the quality and flavor of the finished dish.
Use an oil with a high smoke point for frying. Any oil is only good up to a certain temperature — its smoke point — beyond which it starts to burn and forms harmful compounds. Unrefined oils, with rare exceptions, have a low smoke point; they're full of unfiltered particles that scorch quickly. Refined oils stand up to heat better and have a higher smoke point. If you're cooking in the oven, in a skillet, or on the grill, use an oil with a high smoke point. The most common ones are refined sunflower, olive, and grapeseed oils.
Here's an easy way to tell whether the oil is hot enough: dip a wooden spatula into it. If bubbles gather around it, you're ready to start frying.