Small crispy smelts, served whole like freshly caught fish, with cucumber dressed in gin, a touch of vinegar, and Espelette pepper-infused oil. The fish remains at the center: the accompaniment brings freshness, brightness, and aroma without masking its delicate flavor.
Ingredients
- 600 g fresh whole smelts, gutted if possible
- 1 piece firm cucumber
- 6 cl dry gin with juniper notes
- 2 tsp ground Espelette pepper
- 120 g wheat flour
- 60 g cornstarch
- 750 ml grapeseed oil for frying
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 piece red onion
- 2 pieces fresh scallion
- 1 piece untreated lemon
- 2 tsp fine salt
- to taste freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Rinse the smelts quickly under a stream of cold water, then dry them very thoroughly in a clean towel or with paper towels. They should feel almost matte to the touch: if they remain damp, the frying oil will splatter and the crust will adhere less well.
- Prepare the cocktail cucumber: peel the cucumber, leaving a few strips of skin, cut it into neat small dice, then mix it with the gin, red wine vinegar, a little salt, pepper, and some of the Espelette pepper. Let it rest in the refrigerator until the cucumber releases fragrant, glossy juice.
- Thinly slice the red onion and scallion. Add the onion to the cucumber just before serving so it keeps its crunch, then set the scallion aside for finishing.
- Prepare the seasoning oil: mix the olive oil with the finely grated lemon zest, a splash of lemon juice, and the remaining Espelette pepper. Taste it: the oil should be lively and slightly hot, but not as acidic as a vinaigrette.
- Mix the flour, cornstarch, and fine salt in a shallow dish. Roll the smelts in it, then shake them one by one so only an even dry veil remains. The fish should look dusted, not buried under breading.
- Heat the grapeseed oil in a tall saucepan or deep sauté pan to about one hundred eighty degrees Celsius. Without a thermometer, a pinch of flour should sizzle immediately and rise to the surface without suddenly browning.
- Fry the smelts in small batches so the temperature does not drop. Cook them until they are golden, rigid, and make a crisp sound when moved in the oil. The edges should shrink slightly and the bubbles around the fish should become finer.
- Drain the smelts on a wire rack rather than on a plate, then salt them as soon as they come out of the oil. Wait only long enough for the crust to set, without letting them cool.
- Drain the cocktail cucumber slightly, keeping its juice separately. Arrange the cucumber and red onion in the bottom of the plates in a small amount, as a fresh condiment rather than an abundant salad.
- Place the fried smelts on top, drizzle with a few drops of the lemon oil with Espelette pepper, then add the scallion. Serve immediately, with the gin-cucumber juice on the side to spoon a little around the fish at the last moment.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 481 kcal
- Protein
- 29.19 g
- Carbohydrate
- 21.99 g
- Fat
- 27.15 g
- Fibre
- 3.39 g
- Calcium
- 38.69 mg
- Iron
- 0.75 mg
- Magnesium
- 52.93 mg
