Name: Tempura-Battered Smelt recipe
Ingredients: 1 cup rice wine;½ teaspoon salt;1 pound smelt;1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or as needed;2 quarts oil for deep frying;¾ cup ice water;½ cup all-purpose flour;½ cup cornstarch;2 egg yolks;2 teaspoons sesame seeds;2 teaspoons sesame oil;1 teaspoon baking powder;½ teaspoon white sugar;½ teaspoon salt

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Ingredients

1 cup rice wine ½ teaspoon salt 1 pound smelt 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or as needed 2 quarts oil for deep frying ¾ cup ice water ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup cornstarch 2 egg yolks 2 teaspoons sesame seeds 2 teaspoons sesame oil 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon white sugar ½ teaspoon salt

Nutrition Info

758.6 calories carbohydrate: 31.9 g cholesterol: 181.4 mg fat: 52.3 g fiber: 0.8 g protein: 23.6 g saturatedFat: 7.4 g servingSize: - sodium: 779.3 mg sugar: 0.1 g transFat: : - unsaturatedFat: : -

Directions

Whisk rice wine and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a bowl. Lightly dust smelt with about 1 tablespoon flour. Add smelt to rice wine mixture, cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large wok to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Mix ice water, 1/2 cup flour, cornstarch, egg yolks, sesame seeds, sesame oil, baking powder, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a bowl.
Remove smelt from rice wine mixture and dip, 1 at a time, into the flour mixture until evenly coated. Discard remaining rice wine mixture.
Carefully fry smelt, 2 or 3 at a time, in the hot oil until golden on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel-lined plates. Repeat frying with remaining smelt. Serve warm.

Recipe Yield

4 servings

Recipe Note

The classic Acadian way to cook smelt is to fry them. I put a twist on that tradition by frying them in this light tempura batter my husband and I use for shrimp. I serve this with heads on because, like anchovies, these fish are so small everything is edible. But you can remove heads and internal organs if desired.

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