I like Small Fry

syrka

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:30:45 GMT

These are our typical Spanish "chanquetes"! We use very small anchovies in Spain, though the fishing of small species is very restricted when not prohibited (fortunately). When I was a little child, I remember eating those small fishes that were not longer than 2 or 3 cm.

kim

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:21:47 GMT

I had a boyfriend who loved smelt. I live in Seattle, and can find them in Chinatown... I think I"ll give them a try.

fx

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 05:55:13 GMT

Traci, I"m glad my pictures recalled a cherished memory of your dad frying fishes!

fx

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 05:12:06 GMT

Chef Salty, thanks for your visit and hope to see you back!

chefSalty

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 23:21:49 GMT

Great post. I just came back from Bulgaria and we have something similar that is called "Tsatsa". Depending on where you go they might clean/gut the fish or just fry them whole. They"re definitely delicious with a little lemon juice and a nice cold lager.

Traci ~ Soup of The Day

Mon, 4 Aug 2008 00:56:51 GMT

Reminds me of when I was young -- my dad would catch smelt fish, which were not this small, but still small; they"d flour and pan fry them. You ate them whole also, and I just remember they were SO GOOD. And when kid likes fried fish, you know it"s good!

fx

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:43:31 GMT

Don, I will try to post an article about Italian Speck, that"s pork, not beef, but otherwise really interesting. No you don"t scale those tiny fishes, nor do you gut them, you"d need a toothpick to do that. They are eaten whole, exactly like their mothers made them!

fx

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:35:14 GMT

Dina, thanks for visiting my site! Would you know where in Portugal are the best places to try this? Is there a cult place like a shack on the beach that is famous for such fried fishes?

fx

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:27:56 GMT

Kelly, at the end of the day it"s all about what is the largest animal you are ready to eat whole with blissful oblivion. If you eat mimolette or Stilton cheeses, you"ll find a huge quantity of cheese mites that look like giant hair lobsters. If you saw them you"ll go born-again-vegan in under a second. So yes, the fishes have all sorts of unenticing organs in them, but if you think about them like fish-shaped crackers, you"ll be just fine.

Kelly

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:11:59 GMT

But... but.... the intestines! And the eyes! And the brains!! Their little skulls crunching between your teeth! OH GOD NO! I"ll stick to my filets of fish, where I can"t see (or eat) its face.

dina

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:29:34 GMT

hi there! here in portugal small fry is a popular pick! instead of mayonaise or aioli sauce we make a sauce by frying onion rings with slicies of green pepper, and then add 1 crushed tomatoe, simmer for about 5 or 10 min. Finally, add about 1 or 2 tbsp. vinegar or white wine. Simmer about 3 min. and cover the fish. Serve with cornbread. Absolutely delicious!

donsiranni

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:19:46 GMT

Francois,another fun show!we have smelts here in Maine mostly year round.I"ve never heard of the twice fried until now.I"ll try in a few days from the freezer.I always scaled our smelt,have these "whitebait " been scaled & gutted? Don P.S.,please try to follow-up on any recollections you may have on bundnerfliesch,outside of Grisom.

fx

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:03:52 GMT

Matt, your Andorra breakfast sounds James-Bond-like, these fried fishes must beat fried churros any day!

fx

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:57:39 GMT

Nate I"ll have a cold one on you next time I try this!

fx

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:47:04 GMT

Thanks Angela, I"m sure you must be able to get some of these tiny fishes in Washington. The mayonnaise is too fattening. If you use the yogurt sauce, it has two times less calories, so you can eat twice as much!

Angela

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:31:55 GMT

I love this posting, Fran�ois-Xavier! The photographs are stunning and the recipe looks delicious. Great idea to serve in a newspaper cone too. I"m sure eating this with aioli is decadently good but I like your healthier, yogurt-lemon-garlic dip. Thanks!

Cindy

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:01:19 GMT

Good with beer too!

Nate

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:57:18 GMT

Beautiful pictures again! Fried fry are fantastic with beer.

alice

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:43:56 GMT

OH DEAR GOD. i am craving fried anchovies now, so bad.

matt wright

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:12:56 GMT

I used to eat these for breakfast everyday when skiing in Andora many, many years ago.. Seeing this brought back some great memories.

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:09:27 GMT

Mihai, thanks for visiting, sounds like a delicious idea to eat these tiny fishes with garlic and polenta!

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:08:55 GMT

Laura, where there is fish, there are baby fishes. We even get baby trouts here on the lake, you might ask any local fisherman that operates with nets (you must have some in Vermont!).

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:55:52 GMT

Cynthia, thanks for your visit, I didn"t know Guyana cookery was so fond of Indian cuisine! Of course your fish can only be infinitely better than the fish I had, imported from France. Next time I"ll try to get some local fish.

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:53:54 GMT

Ricardo, charales with lime and tabasco sounds like heaven!

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:53:36 GMT

Su-Lin, the yogurt was not all that creamy but really tangy and nicely contrasted with the fishes for a balanced dish.

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:44:51 GMT

Gamelle, merci pour la visite, en effet la friture d"�perlans n"�tait pas grasse du tout!

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:44:16 GMT

Jensenly, the bones are so tiny that they break before entering your tongue - normally. Of course a novice eater could get a small bit of babyfish bone between gum and tooth, but these are really small bones. The head just cracks as you chew.

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:43:11 GMT

Paulina, thanks for your visit and I hope to find good pictures of Brazilian street food to include here one day - let me know if you know anybody!

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:05:13 GMT

Aly, thanks for visiting!

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:04:50 GMT

Chen Zhi, that would be a mighty fine idea for a movie snack!

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:04:24 GMT

Ouroboros, do you mean that people eat the raw fish from head to toe without cooking it? Or do they throw it live in the boiling oil, like Saint Crispin and Crispinian?

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:25:13 GMT

Helena, I"d love to eat such tiny fishes freshly caught right next to the sea, alas here our Swiss Lake fishes are very hard to come by in this size, the fishermen keep them for themselves and we have to import the fish from the sea and we get it 1 day old.

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:20:18 GMT

Phatwunuk thanks for your visit and enjoy your istavrit!

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:19:34 GMT

CKfusionist, these were �perlans or whitebait.

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:19:10 GMT

Munawar, you eat the fish like its mother made it, with head, tail and everything in between. Of course you wash it, but you couldn"t open each fish.

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:17:23 GMT

Theodore, I"d love to visit Greece and try this in situ. Olive oil tastes so good, but you have to watch your temperature, it can be burnt easily. Grapeseed oil doesn"t taste like anything but withstands higher temperatures.

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:15:49 GMT

Jimmy when it comes to fish and deep-frying, only the freshest ingredients will do. If a restaurant works with rancid oil or lets it become too hot, the fish will be ruined. Thanks for your visit!

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:12:23 GMT

Alex, I"m sure your girlfriend will like this very much. With the fish bones it already bites back quite a bit!

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:07:39 GMT

Alex, would you know of a good location in Tokyo or Kyoto to have those shishamo fishes?

fx

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:06:18 GMT

Shu, thanks for visiting and I"d love to try your Malaysian version!

Shu

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:06:24 GMT

In Malaysia and Singapore we call this version of small fry whitebait or baitfish. Ikan bilis with sambal or chilli and peanuts is made with the dried version of the fish.

Jordan Chandler

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:29:45 GMT

So what kind of fishes are those exactly?

CKfusionist

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:10:46 GMT

hmm , looks like deep-fried silverfish to me. Usually we call that as ikan bilis and it"s served as one of the side dishes accompanying the fragrant boiled rice with coconut milk and pandan leaves....along with some chilli sambal cooked with squid and hard boiled eggs....

Alec

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:17:09 GMT

In Japan, one of my favourite dishes is little pregnant fish, maybe double/triple the size of your fish, full of eggs. It"s called "shishamo" and we serve it grilled with just a wedge of lemon.

Emine

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:15:22 GMT

Yes ı like your article.Frankly ı like your articles Fran�ois.Thank you

AlexFalk

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:35:45 GMT

I love this!
My girlfriend is not the biggest fan of fish, but she loves my french fries.
Perhaps this will be a way to introduce her to the greater world of fish.
My deep fryer is ready willing and able to tackle this dish, however, I plan on adding some crushed red pepper flakes, or other spicy seasonings to the flour, as She and I both adore food that bites back.

Jimmy

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:25:39 GMT

I"ve had something similar to this one time in Nice. They were served as aperitifs to the welcome drink at some fancy reception. Although I have to say those tasted quite rancid, these on the other hand look absolutely divine. I will definitely try this out next time i can get hold of some fresh fry. Excellent post!

Theodore

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:04:27 GMT

Bravo Francois!!! This is definitely the favorite meze for any Greek especially during the hot summery days propably with some ouzo...
You may not agree with this, but try frying in it in some olive oil just the way my mum does it in a frying pan but in smaller batches. There is something about frying in Olive Oil that makes everything from small fishes to potato fries so delicious....

Munawar

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:41:17 GMT

Do you clean the fish before frying? I mean there must be something in the stomach and intestine and stuff. Usually the larger fish is cleaned before cooked and i wonder why not this one? Even the shrimps are cleaned as well. I am just curious! Other than that, it looks marvelous and tasty! YUMMMMM!

phatwunuk

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:29:06 GMT

love "em. Try them with some hot sauce, cold beer or raki. They"re called hamsi in Turkey where I live. My wife, the better cook in the house, uses corn flour. Mmmmaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmaa!
Maybe better are something here called istavrit. Don"t know the english equivilant but they"re slightly bigger and we don"t eat the bones. Even the six year old son eats them.
Know what I"m going to be having for dinner.