Deep-fried Spicy Whitebait Recipe

Ingredients:

450 gram whitebait
4 lemon wedges, to garnish
3 tbsp plain (all¬ purpose) flour
1 tsp paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
12 fresh parsley sprigs
Salt and ground black pepper to taste


Cooking instructions:

If using frozen whitebait, thaw in the bag, and then drain off any water. Spread out the fish on kitchen paper and pat dry.

Place the flour, paprika and cayenne in a large plastic bag and add salt and pepper. Add the whitebait, in batches, and shake gently until all the fish are lightly coated with the flour mixture. Transfer to a plate.

Preheat about 2 inch of cooking oil in a pan or deep-fat fryer to 375°F, until a cube of day-old bread browns for about 30 seconds.

Add the whitebait, in batches, and deep-fry in the hot oil for about 3 minutes, until the coating is lightly golden and crisp.

Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven while frying the remainder.

When all the whitebait is cooked, drop the sprigs of parsley into the hot oil and deep-fry for a few seconds until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.

Serve the whitebait immediately, garnished with the deep-fried parsley sprigs and lemon wedges.