Fresh whitebait, dusted in seasoned flour, quickly fried in oil, and sprinkled with lemon juice is very quick and simple but makes a great starter on a summer’s evening. If you can’t find whitebait—it’s often hard to find in the States—try raw tiger shrimp, squid, or even crab claws.
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp dried chile flakes
- 1½ pounds whitebait, defrosted if frozen
- Flavorless oil, such as peanut, for deep-frying
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon wedges, to serve
INSTRUCTIONS
- Toast the Sichuan peppercorns and the coriander seeds in a dry frying pan for 1–2 minutes until aromatic. Transfer to a mortar, add the chile flakes, and pound with a pestle until powdered, then set aside.
- Gently wash the whitebait and pat dry with paper towels. Pour the oil into a deep-fat fryer and heat to 340°F, or fill a large saucepan one-third full of oil and heat until a cube of bread dropped into the hot oil sizzles and turns golden after 30 seconds.
- Season the flour with salt and pepper and mix with the ground spices. Dust the whitebait in the spiced flour, shaking off any excess, and deep-fry in batches for 1–2 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through.
- Remove and drain on paper towels. Taste and season with a little more salt if necessary. Repeat with the remaining batches.
- Serve while still warm with wedges of lemon.
NOTES
- You can pan-fry the whitebait if you prefer. Just cook smaller batches at a time in less oil.
