Cá Trứng Chiên [Fried Smelt]

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Cá Trứng Chiên [Fried Smelt]

Yield

2

Author

Chef Tu David Phu

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

15 Min

Total time

35 Min

Big thanks to our #angler friends @asianmartha and @stinkydog6636 for the fish! Their highlights are usually catching local Dungeness Crab and King Salmon right outside the Golden Gate Bridge, in the Pacific Ocean. From their most recent fishing trip, they gifted us the most beautiful filet of salmon (that recipe is coming soon). But along with the salmon, they handed me beautiful, plump local smelt. And after digging into my memory bank of recipes, I recounted one of my favorite childhood bites, fried smelt.

Ingredients

Fried Smelt

• 10 each, Whole Smelt
• 2 quarts, Iced Water
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp, Kosher Salt
• 2 cups, AP Flour
• 1 cup, Rice Flour
• 1 tbsp Corn Starch
• 1 tsp, Kosher Salt
• 2 each, Whole Eggs
• 2 cups, Frying Oil

Garnishes

• Chrouk Metae Fermented Chili Paste (or sub Sambal Olek)
• Scallion Tops
• Sliced Serranos Slivers
• 1/4 cup, small diced red onion

Pickled Daikon and Carrots

• 1 cup, Shredded Carrots
• 1/2 cup, Shredded Daikon
• 1/4 tsp, Salt
• 1/2 tsp, organic sugar (or 1/4 tsp stevia)
• 1 cup, Rice Vinegar
• 2 cups, Water
• 2 cloves, Garlic
• 1 sliver, Ginger
• 1/2 each, Jalapeno

Instructions

Scale the fish

1. Rinse the fish under fresh, cold running water to loosen the scales.
2. Pinch the fish firmly by the tail. 
3. Use the back of a knife to start scraping away the scales; moving from the tail to the head.
4. Rinse the fish under running water to remove any remaining scales.
5. Turn the fish over and repeat on the other side.
6. Check to make sure that all of the scales have been removed by running a finger against the grain of the fish. 

Gut the Fish

1. Place the fish in one hand.
2. With a pair of scissors, make an incision starting from the anus of the fish and continue that cutting until you split the jaw. 
3. Pull out the internal organs with your hands. 
4. Rinse the inside cavity of the fish under running water, until water runs clear.
5. Removed the spine of the fish. 
6. With a pair of fish pliers, remove any remaining fish pine bones. 

Brine the Fish

1. In a large bowl, add 2 quarts of iced, the juice of 1 lemon, and 2 tsp of Kosher Salt
2. Add the deboned and gutted fish to the saltwater brine. 
3. Brine the fish for 15 minutes. 
4. Take the fish out of the saltwater brine. And place or pan lined with paper towels to remove excess water. 

Dredge the Fish

1. In a wide, shallow bowl add 2 cups of AP Flour, 1 cup of Rice Flour, 1 tbsp of Corn Starch, and 1 of Kosher Salt.
2. Mix the dredge mixture thoroughly with a fork, or whisk.
3. Dredge each fish in flour, turning and pressing lightly to coat. Shake off excess and place on a platter to set aside.

Fry the Fish

1. Preheat a large frying pan on medium heat for 1 minute
2. Add 1/4 cup of frying oil, per 5 filets. [do not overcrowd your pan + plus add more oil every time fish is rotated out of the pan]
3. Gently lay 1 fish in pan, skin side down first. Make sure to tilt the pan away from you [allows for the oil to splash away from your body to prevent burns]
4. Continue to pan fry on medium heat, until browned on the first side, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. With a spatula, carefully turn the fish over carefully. 
6. Continue to fry another side until it is crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes more.
7. Transfer to a serving plate lined with paper towels, to remove excess grease.
8. Gently seasons with salt and pepper on both sides of fish

Pickled Daikon

1. In a medium-size pot, add [1/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 cup rice vinegar, 2 cups of water, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 sliver of ginger, 1/2 each Jalapeno]
2. Bring the pot to a simmer
3. Take the pot off the heat
4. Add cut carrots and daikon
5. Submerge carrots and daikon (under pickling liquid) with a small plate
6. Allow carrots and daikon to steep for at least 15 minutes at room temperature.
7. Store carrots and daikon in pickling liquid and use as needed.

Assemble

1. On a large entree plate, gently transfer 2 filets of fried smelt. 
2. With a tasting spoon, randomly dollop the fermented chili paste on the plate. 
3. Scatter the pickled daikon and carrots.
4. Garnish with a few slivers of serrano and scallion tops.
5. Sparring, garnish the dish with 1/2 tsp of small diced red onion.

Notes:

“Eating small fish, or "forage fish," like anchovies, sardines, herring and mackerel, will not only help curb the overfishing of popular large fish, but it can be totally delicious. Many people simply haven't had enough exposure to these kinds of small fish, and what exposure they may have had might be misleading.” 

 -Huff Post [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anchovies-and-sardines-recipes_n_6933790]

Recommended Products:

Fish Bone Tweezers

Chrouk Metae

Similar Recipes

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cheftu.com/recipes/friedsmelt

fish, fried, seafood, sustainable, forage fish, fish sauce, umami, sushi, healthy

seafood

Vietnamese

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