Smelts and Sweet Potato Fries

Saturday 10 December

Smelts were $5/lb. at Lukens in Findlay Market.  We don't often get them this far inland, so we took advantage. 

This fish reminds us of Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest on SNL reminiscing about "Smelt Night" in the Negro Leagues; and if you're talking great little fish rather than funny skits, the heavenly, once-in-a-lifetime french-fried baby brook trout served at Scribner's near New Haven, yea, 20 years ago and more. 

For our particular Smelt Night we tried one of James Beard's tips: dip 'em in cream, then in seasoned breadcrumbs, then fry 'em.  We used panko, but I think that Beard died before panko was invented; in any case it didn't adhere very well, so the smelts were only half-breaded, though tasty for all that.  Next time, we'll substitute beaten egg and cornmeal, which might stick better.

The sweet potato fries were done as we said we would here, using sweet smoked pimenton for paprika.  Still a mite limp for something billed as "fries," though perfectly edible.

We gobbled our smelts with a tartar sauce made with Holt's own cornichons.  There was no problem peeling the backbone out of each little fish, and the fins gave a nice crunch that the panko didn't ("crunchy frog heap good").  Still, a pound and a half was too much smelt to eat in one night, so we're saving the rest for a Marcella Hazan recipe (see Tuesday, above).