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Whitebait Pancakes
Wash and dry whitebait, then cook lightly in a little melted butter over low heat, drain, and mix with egg pancake batter . Fry in thin cakes.
This is popular on the Pacific Coast where it was no doubt adapted by Italian Americans from the ancient Neapolitan Omelet. Whitebait leaps in great schools in both of our oceans, yet we neglect this fine seafood. And our fashion of covering the baby fish with seasoned flour for deep fat frying is to shake them in a paper bag instead of rolling them separately in flour. This is okay if care is taken not to damage their shape.
Although whitebait are the young or small fry of salt water fish, herring, smelts, eels and even flying fish, wherever fresh water minnows are plentiful they are just as good, and the smaller, the better.
The instructions give no quantities, so this is a method rather than a formula. Two things decide the outcome: the fish must be dry before they go near the butter, and the cakes must be thin enough that the batter sets before the whitebait toughen.
- Working proportionsFor about 8 oz whitebait, a batter of 2 eggs, 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup milk makes six to eight small cakes and serves two or three as a first course. The batter should be thin, closer to crepe consistency than pancake, so the fish are barely bound rather than buried.
- Buying whitebaitWhitebait is a market category, not a species: in the US it is usually Atlantic silversides or small smelt, sold frozen in blocks. Thaw in the refrigerator, then spread on paper towels and blot thoroughly, as any surface water will spit in the butter and thin the batter.
- The pre-cooking is brief"Cook lightly" means one to two minutes over low heat, just until the fish turn opaque. They are already fully cooked at that point, and the frying of the cakes cooks them a second time; anything longer and they go dry and grainy inside the pancake.
- Frying the cakesUse a well-buttered skillet over medium heat and drop the batter in tablespoon pools, spreading them thin with the back of the spoon. Two minutes a side is enough for browning; they are done when the second side is set.
- Freshwater minnowsMany states regulate the taking and transport of bait fish. Check local fishing rules before collecting any, and note that bait sold at tackle shops is not handled as food.
- The paper-bag flouringThat aside describes a separate dish, whole floured whitebait for deep frying, not this one. If you try it, use a light hand: seasoned flour clumps on damp fish and the bag shaking will snap the tails off any that are not thoroughly dried first.
- ServingLemon and a little coarse salt are all these need. They go soft on standing, so cook them in batches and serve straight from the pan.