CookEat Recipe
Fried Smelts with Tomato Sauce
Fresh smelts in a crisp breadcrumb coating, served with warm tomato sauce in a separate bowl.
Method
Steps
Step 1
For the tomato sauce, dice the four ounces lean raw ham, slice two carrots and two onions, and chop one leek, two parsley branches, one celery branch, one green pepper and one garlic clove. Melt two ounces butter in a large saucepan. Add the ham and these vegetables with two cloves, one teaspoon whole peppercorns, half a bay-leaf sprig, half a thyme sprig, one tablespoon salt and one light tablespoon icing sugar. Cook over brisk heat for about twelve minutes, stirring, until lightly browned.
Step 2
Stir the four tablespoons flour into the sauce pan and cook for five minutes. Add the two quarts fresh ripe red tomatoes cut into quarters and one quart cold water. Mix, cover and simmer very gently for one and a half hours, stirring occasionally. The diced ham must be thoroughly cooked; check that its centre reaches 70°C for two minutes.
Step 3
Press the sauce through a sieve and then strain through clean food-safe cheesecloth. Measure the actual finished sauce portion needed below and keep it hot for immediate use. Divide the unused sauce into small shallow containers, cool rapidly and refrigerate at 40°F or colder within two hours; freeze for longer storage.
Step 4
Use twelve medium fresh whole smelts, professionally gutted and cleaned. Keep refrigerated at 40°F or colder until needed and pat thoroughly dry. Season evenly with the separate one teaspoon salt and one saltspoon white pepper.
Step 5
Lightly roll the smelts in flour, dip in beaten whole egg and coat lightly with fine breadcrumbs. Prepare a fresh bath of refined canola oil in a suitable deep fryer or deep stable pan, following its safe fill and heating instructions and keeping it below smoking.
Step 6
Fry in uncrowded batches for about five minutes, continuing until the thickest flesh of every fish reaches 70°C and the egg-and-flour coating is golden and fully cooked to at least 160°F. Lift out with a skimmer and drain thoroughly on clean absorbent paper or cloth. Discard coating ingredients that have touched raw fish.
Step 7
Arrange the hot smelts on a warm dish lined with a clean food-safe folded napkin. Serve promptly with one actual gill of the finished hot tomato sauce in a separate bowl.
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