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Capelin fried in a pan with onions

Pan-Fried Capelin with Onions

Simple, budget-friendly, quick, and downright delicious! Fried capelin is a beloved dish — this little fish has always been affordable and easy to find. It does give off a strong, distinctive smell as it fries, which puts some cooks off, but a little prep goes a long way toward keeping that in check.

Snezhana

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Capelin

300

Lemon juice

Onion

Dill

Vegetable oil

Ground black pepper

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 38 % 8 g

Fats 48 % 10 g

Carbohydrates 14 % 3 g

134 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 40 min

Step 1:

How do you pan-fry capelin? Gather your ingredients. If the fish was frozen, thaw it — ideally the natural way, at room temperature, or by moving it from the freezer to the bottom shelf of the fridge.
Step 2:

If you're really pressed for time, you can fry the capelin without cleaning it. But gutted, cleaned fish tastes much better.
Step 3:

Slit the belly of each fish, remove the innards and the dark membrane lining the cavity, and cut off the head. Rinse the fish thoroughly under running water.
Step 4:

Arrange the capelin on a plate, sprinkle with lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, and scatter chopped fresh dill over the top. This quick marinade is enough to tame the strong fishy smell. Alternatively, just lay some sliced onion over the fish — it, too, helps absorb odors. Let the capelin sit for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the onion and cut it into rings or half-rings.
Step 5:

Pour the vegetable oil into a skillet and set it over medium heat. Add the prepared fish and onion to the hot oil. For juicy, tender capelin, fry it about 3 minutes per side. If you'd rather have a crispier, golden crust, extend the cooking time to 5–6 minutes.
Step 6:

The dish is ready. Serve the fried capelin hot — with a side dish, fresh vegetables, or simply some bread. Enjoy!

Keep in mind that properly thawing your ingredients has a big impact on the quality and flavor of the finished dish.
Use an oil with a high smoke point for frying. Cooking oils are only good up to a certain temperature — the smoke point — beyond which the oil begins to burn and form harmful compounds, including carcinogens. Unrefined oils, with few exceptions, have a low smoke point: they contain unfiltered organic particles that scorch quickly. Refined oils stand up to heat better and have a higher smoke point. Whether you're baking, pan-frying, or grilling, reach for a high-smoke-point oil — the most common being refined sunflower, olive, and grapeseed oils.
To keep your eyes from stinging while cutting onions, rinse the onion and knife in cold water first. Rubbing the cutting board with a piece of lemon before slicing helps keep it from absorbing the oniony smell.