Tiny whole sprats, fried until very crisp and served piping hot with a spoonful of fresh tzatziki, crunchy cucumber, a drizzle of olive oil, and a touch of red onion. A simple, clean, lively fisherman's plate where the fish remains the star.
Ingredients
- 800 g very small fresh whole sprats, gutted
- 220 g fresh tzatziki
- 2 pieces firm cucumber
- 1 bunch fresh dill
- 1 piece red onion
- 1 piece sweet red pepper
- 1 piece untreated lemon
- 120 g fine wheat flour
- 80 g fine durum wheat semolina
- 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
- 2 pinches ground black pepper
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 1 l sunflower oil for frying
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp za'atar
Method
- Quickly rinse the sprats under cold running water, then dry them very thoroughly on paper towels. They should feel almost matte to the touch: if the skin remains damp, the oil will splatter and the coating will not adhere well.
- Prepare the dressed cucumber: cut the cucumber into ribbons or thin half-moons, slice the red onion very thinly, then toss with the white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, some of the chopped dill, salt, and pepper. Keep chilled while preparing the fish; the cucumber should stay crisp, not waterlogged.
- Cut the red pepper into very small dice. Leave it raw for a clean sweetness and subtle crunch, or quickly cook it in a dry skillet until it just begins to smell roasted without collapsing.
- Mix the flour, fine semolina, smoked sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. The semolina will give the crust a drier, more pronounced crunch than flour alone.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a tall saucepan or deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. It is ready when a pinch of coating sinks to the bottom and immediately rises with a steady sizzle, without browning.
- Coat the sprats in the seasoned flour, then shake them one at a time to remove the excess. The coating should be thin and almost powdery: you should still be able to make out the fish's silvery shape beneath the flour.
- Fry the sprats in several small batches without crowding the pan. Turn them gently when the sizzling becomes finer and the edges draw in slightly; they are ready when lightly golden, firm but not dry, and they smell distinctly of grilled fish rather than oil.
- Drain the sprats on a rack or paper towels, then season with salt immediately. Keep them spaced apart to preserve the crispness; do not stack them, or steam will soften the crust.
- Loosen the tzatziki only if necessary with a small drizzle of olive oil or lemon juice. It should remain thick: serve a spoonful beside the fish, not as a sauce covering everything.
- Arrange the dressed cucumber in a light nest on each plate. Add the still-piping-hot fried sprats on top or alongside, then scatter over the diced pepper, fresh dill, and a pinch of za'atar. Finish with a lemon wedge and one last drizzle of olive oil.
- Serve immediately. The contrast is at its best within the minute: hot, crisp fish, cold tzatziki, lively cucumber, and very fresh herbs.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 808.8 kcal
- Protein
- 40.27 g
- Carbohydrate
- 22.08 g
- Fat
- 60.01 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
- Calcium
- 20.24 mg
- Iron
- 0.86 mg
- Magnesium
- 20.7 mg