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Fried Smelts with Tartare Sauce

Name: Fried Smelts with Tartare Sauce
Ingredients: 12 Smelt — TWELVE fresh RAW medium whole smelts; clean and wipe thoroughly dry, mass unspecified.; 1 Teaspoon Salt — Salt for fish; source unit: teaspoon; 0.25 Teaspoon White pepper — White pepper, estimated from one saltspoon; source unit: teaspoon; 6 Quarter Lemon — SIX small lemon QUARTER pieces for the full fish batch.; 3 Pickle — Small pickles, finely chopped for tartare; 1 Shallot — Shallot, finely chopped for tartare; 0.5 Teaspoon Parsley — Parsley, chopped for tartare; source unit: teaspoon; 1 Teaspoon Caper — Capers, chopped for tartare; source unit: teaspoon; 0.25 Teaspoon Tarragon — Tarragon, chopped for tartare; source unit: teaspoon; 0.25 Teaspoon Chervil — Chervil, chopped for tartare; source unit: teaspoon; 1 Pasteurized egg yolk — ONE commercially pasteurized yolk equivalent suitable for uncooked tartare; separate from coating eggs.; 0.5 Teaspoon English mustard powder — Ground English mustard for tartare; source unit: teaspoon; 0.5 Teaspoon Salt — Salt for tartare; source unit: teaspoon; 0.25 Teaspoon Cayenne pepper — Cayenne, estimated from one saltspoon for tartare; source unit: teaspoon; 1 Tablespoon Vinegar — Vinegar for tartare; source unit: tablespoon; 120 Millilitre Olive oil — Olive oil, about one US gill for tartare; source unit: millilitre; Flour — Flour for light coating; Egg — BEATEN WHOLE eggs for the fish coating pool; count and uptake unspecified, separate from sauce yolk.; Breadcrumbs — Fine breadcrumbs; Canola oil — Food-purpose canola oil for frying; volume and uptake unspecified.; Parsley — Fresh parsley for garnish

Twelve small breaded smelts fried golden and served with separate tartare sauce. Source : Alexander Filippini, The International Cook Book (1906), filippini-1906-0047. Adaptation documentaire ; illustration synthétique. Recette non cuisinée ni mesurée par cette campagne. Adaptations : Use verified pasteurized yolk in the separately prepared No. 48 sauce and refrigerate it. Fry fish in batches to an internal 70°C fish endpoint; the printed five minutes alone is not proof. Drain on clean absorbent paper, not a reused raw-fish cloth. Limites : Fish size, coating uptake, frying-oil amount, probe access in small fish and sauce yield remain unknown. Use the selected pasteurized yolk for the uncooked sauce and check each fish with a suitable fine probe; time and appearance alone do not establish the endpoint.

Type: Main course

By Alexander Filippini · Posted Sep 29, 2026

Ingredients

12 SmeltTWELVE fresh RAW medium whole smelts; clean and wipe thoroughly dry, mass unspecified.
1 Teaspoon SaltSalt for fish; source unit: teaspoon
0.25 Teaspoon White pepperWhite pepper, estimated from one saltspoon; source unit: teaspoon
6 Quarter LemonSIX small lemon QUARTER pieces for the full fish batch.
3 PickleSmall pickles, finely chopped for tartare
1 ShallotShallot, finely chopped for tartare
0.5 Teaspoon ParsleyParsley, chopped for tartare; source unit: teaspoon
1 Teaspoon CaperCapers, chopped for tartare; source unit: teaspoon
0.25 Teaspoon TarragonTarragon, chopped for tartare; source unit: teaspoon
0.25 Teaspoon ChervilChervil, chopped for tartare; source unit: teaspoon
1 Pasteurized egg yolkONE commercially pasteurized yolk equivalent suitable for uncooked tartare; separate from coating eggs.
0.5 Teaspoon English mustard powderGround English mustard for tartare; source unit: teaspoon
0.5 Teaspoon SaltSalt for tartare; source unit: teaspoon
0.25 Teaspoon Cayenne pepperCayenne, estimated from one saltspoon for tartare; source unit: teaspoon
1 Tablespoon VinegarVinegar for tartare; source unit: tablespoon
120 Millilitre Olive oilOlive oil, about one US gill for tartare; source unit: millilitre
FlourFlour for light coating
EggBEATEN WHOLE eggs for the fish coating pool; count and uptake unspecified, separate from sauce yolk.
BreadcrumbsFine breadcrumbs
Canola oilFood-purpose canola oil for frying; volume and uptake unspecified.
ParsleyFresh parsley for garnish

Method

Steps

Step 1
Make full tartare ONCE. Finely chop THREE small pickles and ONE shallot; prepare HALF teaspoon finely chopped parsley, ONE teaspoon finely chopped capers, QUARTER teaspoon chopped tarragon and QUARTER teaspoon finely chopped chervil. Keep these on a clean plate.
Step 2
Whisk ONE pasteurized yolk equivalent with the sauce English mustard, salt, cayenne and ONE tablespoon vinegar in a clean bowl. Add the 120 mL olive oil DROP BY DROP while mixing continuously. Add all the chopped ingredients and briskly whisk FOUR minutes. Transfer the actual complete sauce to a clean cold bowl, cover and refrigerate promptly.
Step 3
Clean and thoroughly dry TWELVE medium raw whole smelts. Season evenly with the separate teaspoon fish salt and quarter-teaspoon white-pepper estimate. Roll lightly in flour, dip in beaten whole egg, then roll lightly in fine breadcrumbs; coating quantities remain unspecified.
Step 4
Fry in very hot canola oil, using the source FIVE minutes as a guide. Check 70°C in the thickest flesh of each fish with a suitable clean fine probe; small-fish probe access must be assessed during preparation, without inferring success from time or appearance. Lift with a skimmer and drain thoroughly on clean absorbent paper.
Step 5
Dress hot on a dish lined with a plain food-safe folded napkin. Decorate the complete batch with parsley greens and SIX small lemon QUARTERS. Serve the COLD tartare separately.

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