Smelt bones—spine and pin bones—are small enough to be eaten. In fact, many eaters believe the crunch is part of the charm. But if you are not one of those eaters, simply flatten a dressed (that means headed and gutted) smelt, skin side up, on a cutting board. From the head end of the fish, gently pull the backbone from the flesh.
Makes
4 servingsIngredients
- 1 pound smelts dressed and butterflied
- Kosher salt
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 2 whole eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ½ cups stone-ground local Calais flint cornmeal
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup bacon fat
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Place smelts skin side down on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
- Combine flour and cayenne in a wide, shallow bowl. In a second wide, shallow bowl, beat eggs with milk. Place cornmeal in a third wide, shallow bowl.
- Taking each smelt in turn by its tail, dredge it on both sides through the flour mixture, then through the egg mixture, and then through the cornmeal. Place the coated smelt back on the baking sheet. Repeat the process until all the smelts are coated.
- Preheat oven to 200°. Have a second, clean baking sheet at the ready.
- In a large cast-iron skillet, heat ¼ cup oil and 2 tablespoons bacon fat until the fat shimmers. Place as many coated smelts, skin side up, in the pan as possible without crowding them. Cook smelts until their bottom crusts are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip smelts and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer cooked smelts to the clean baking sheet and slide them into the warm oven. Repeat the process, adding more fat as needed, until all the smelts are fried. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
