CHILE AND SPICE WHITEBAIT
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.
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Remove and drain on paper towels. Taste and season with a little more salt if necessary. Repeat with the remaining batches.
  5. Serve while still warm with wedges of lemon.
HOW TO PAN-FRY WHITEBAIT
  1. You can pan-fry the whitebait if you prefer. Just cook smaller batches at a time in less oil.