Fried Seafaring Friends

I've got quite a penchant for fried sea creatures. On a recent trip to Australia, it took tremendous willpower not to pop into a corner take-away (it seems there's one on every corner in Sydney) and feast on the fried offerings at every meal. Shrimp and crab and lobster are nice every once in a while, but smelt are my favourite local fishy fare. Smelt are a very small fish, and they can be sustainably caught by net in the spring in our Great Lakes and rivers. They're also readily available frozen at the supermarket.

I like them whole, but you might prefer to clean them and remove the heads and tails. All they need is a light dusting of salt, pepper, and flour to be pan-fried in oil or butter. Dress them up with a classic flour-egg wash-breadcrumb peparation for deep frying. I like a squirt of lemon and some parsley to finish, but they're also great with a homemade tartar sauce. If you're really adventurous, eat them live like the Koreans do! Please let me know how that goes.

Tartar Sauce

• 1 cup mayonnaise, homemade or store-bought
• 2 shallots, minced
  
• 1 dill pickle, chopped fine
  
• salt and pepper
  
• juice of one lemon
  
• 1/4 cup capers, chopped fine
  

Combine all in a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavours to marry.

This simple recipe can certainly be augmented with Tabasco, horseradish, dry mustard, fresh herbs...