smelt fry

[bucketmouth64]

Having a smelt fry saturday. Any suggestions on a batter or breading that is easy and goes a long ways. I will be using my turkey fryer. Should I drop them individually into the oil or dump a bunch, but won't that cause them to all clump and stick together. Is the cooking time longer versus filets? Always wondered how places do a smelt fry. Any tips would be appreciated.

[Dark Cloud]

I love beer battered smelt but it is a pain if your doing alot! You prety much have to dip and drop each one individually or you'll have a mess.

When im cooking alot I buy a premade breading like Lousiana or Zatarans, Gander has a fish fry breading that is real good also. I dont care for the "cajun" ones. They seem to kill the fish flavor. But I do like to mix say 1 bag of regular with 1/3rd bag of cajun...

Beat up enough eggs with a little milk and mix em all in then dump them in a collinder and let em drain for a few minutes. Now dump them into a big enough plastic tub with a lid. Pour in a bag or two of the breading, put the lid on and shake them around. Now you should be able to grab handfulls, shake em off a bit and drop them into the oil. Be carefull...

[bucketmouth64]

that's what my son suggested to do a breading. I'll have to check out GM and FF and see what they have. Wondering if I could get away with not using an egg wash (that's a lot of eggs) and maybe go with a milk/water wash then the breading.

[PEATMOSS]

I've tried just coating smelt and I really didn't like them that well. They seemed to come out chewy the couple times I tried it that way. To me, beer batter is the only way to go for smelt. If you lived closer, I'd volunteer to come over and help. I missed the local run here this year due to work and would love to eat some.

[Dark Cloud]

Some milk would work fine. Your not looking for a thick coating. Just want them damp so a thin layer of breading gets on them to crisp up...

Just a thought but maybe butter milk? Or some beaten eggs really thinned out with milk...

[Deitz Dittrich]

I prefer evaporated milk as my pre-coating over eggs..

[Surface Tension]

No batter just deep fry them till lightly crisped.

Salt them as soon as you take them out of the oil.

Lemon juice is optional.

Its whats for lunch, YUMMM

[Dark Cloud]

Bucketmouth - Try em 2 or 3 diff ways and let the masses tell ya what they prefer. I do a fish fry at our camp about 4-5 times a year for around 15 guys. I have cooked them about every imaginable way and for easy of use and thier preference I usually use the thinned eggs just to dampen the filets and the Zatarans NewOrleans seafood coating. It is a finer ground cornmeal/flour and puts on a thin coating that crisps up nice. Accentuates the flavor of fish but dosnt cover-up...

Plain fried smelt with a little salt when they are done are great also...

[vermilionfox]

bucketmouth if you can find Andy's Fish Breading up your way go with that. It's the best! Made right here in St. Louis, Missouri!

[bucketmouth64]

thanks for the suggestions. I am going to try two different ways. One beer batter(McCormick's) and the other shore lunch breading. I am leaning to use buttermilk with the breading. See what everyone likes. I may do a few plain and see how that goes.

[merkman]

I hear ground up stove top stuffing makes a great coating too.

[Northlander]

I have had smelt about every way they can be done. I still come back to beer batter. Shore lunches new beer batter is very very good, especially with a good dark beer like a South Shore Nut Brown Ale.

Dont mix the batter too thick and only use the smaller smelt. Big smelt arent good deep fried. Grilled they are ok but not deep fried.

[bucketmouth64]

Well the smelt fry went well. The dry breading didn't go over as well as the beer batter. People liked the crispiness of the batter.