Duration
1 hour
Serves
6
Dubbed “fries with eyes,” most devotees love this small fish deep-fried and enjoyed as a snack. The bones of smelt are so soft and small that you hardly notice them, and their shape makes them ideal for dipping in all the sauces you can think of.
There are several varieties of smelt, and while some can be fried whole—ungutted—I find the innards of lake smelt much too bitter and grainy. Gutted or ungutted, that’s up to you.
Here’s a different way toeat smelt: in a taco. Their small size makes for maximum surface area, giving you an extra crispy filling. Although the Mexican pickles are optional, I think they make a tasty foil to the richness of this dish, providing spicy acidity that’s much needed.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. smelt, gutted
- Radishes, thinly sliced
- Cabbage, shredded
- Cilantro, coarsely chopped
- Frying oil
- Mexican pickles, optional
- ¼ cup flour
- Corn tortillas
Beer Batter
- 1 cup flour
- 1½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1 to 1¼ cup lager beer
Mayo-Lime Sauce
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tsp. lime juice, or to taste
- Grated zest of 1 lime
Also works with
Preparation
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the beer batter. Then stir in beer and mix until just combined—lumps are OK. The batter should resemble thin pancake batter. In a smaller bowl, combine mayo-lime sauce and keep cold until ready to serve.
- In a wide, shallow bowl, add ¼ cup flour. Toss smelt in the flour to lightly coat. Heat 2 inches of oil to 350°F. When oil comes to temperature, shake off excess flour on fish and dip each into the beer batter. Drop smelt one-by-one into the hot oil and cook in batches until golden and crispy. Drain. Toss freshly fried fish with fine sea salt, if needed.
- Warm tortillas (preferably over the fire) and assemble tacos with fried fish, radish, cabbage, cilantro, and mayo-lime sauce. Serve with Mexican pickles on the side or in the tacos.
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Beer-Battered Smelt Tacos
Duration
1 hour
Serves
6
Dubbed “fries with eyes,” most devotees love this small fish deep-fried and enjoyed as a snack. The bones of smelt are so soft and small that you hardly notice them, and their shape makes them ideal for dipping in all the sauces you can think of.
There are several varieties of smelt, and while some can be fried whole—ungutted—I find the innards of lake smelt much too bitter and grainy. Gutted or ungutted, that’s up to you.
Here’s a different way toeat smelt: in a taco. Their small size makes for maximum surface area, giving you an extra crispy filling. Although the Mexican pickles are optional, I think they make a tasty foil to the richness of this dish, providing spicy acidity that’s much needed.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. smelt, gutted
- Radishes, thinly sliced
- Cabbage, shredded
- Cilantro, coarsely chopped
- Frying oil
- Mexican pickles, optional
- ¼ cup flour
- Corn tortillas
Beer Batter
- 1 cup flour
- 1½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1 to 1¼ cup lager beer
Mayo-Lime Sauce
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tsp. lime juice, or to taste
- Grated zest of 1 lime
Also works with
Preparation
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the beer batter. Then stir in beer and mix until just combined—lumps are OK. The batter should resemble thin pancake batter. In a smaller bowl, combine mayo-lime sauce and keep cold until ready to serve.
- In a wide, shallow bowl, add ¼ cup flour. Toss smelt in the flour to lightly coat. Heat 2 inches of oil to 350°F. When oil comes to temperature, shake off excess flour on fish and dip each into the beer batter. Drop smelt one-by-one into the hot oil and cook in batches until golden and crispy. Drain. Toss freshly fried fish with fine sea salt, if needed.
- Warm tortillas (preferably over the fire) and assemble tacos with fried fish, radish, cabbage, cilantro, and mayo-lime sauce. Serve with Mexican pickles on the side or in the tacos.