Thread: Devilled Whitebait...

I have never made this recette so I cannot say anything much about it except that I want to try it...!! It is from an English cookery book.

Ingredients...

450 g whitebait, scaled and filleted (just joking)
275/300ml milk
100/125g flour
2 tsps salt
1 tsp black or cayenne pepper
a little extra cayenne
lemon quarters
parsley sprigs

If frozen, allow the whitebait to thaw spreading them out as soon as you can to separate them without breaking them. When they are at room temp, put the whitebait into a bowl of milk for about 4 -5 minutes to help make the flour stick. Drain them in a sieve. Put the flour, salt and black or cayenne pepper in a large plastic bag. Fill a deep frying half full of oil and let it heat to between 180-190c. While the oil is heating, put the whitebait in the bag and shake them about until they are coated with the flour. Shake off any surplus flour and deep-fry for about 2 minutes or until they are crisp and golden. Lift them on to a baking tray line with kitchen paper. Keep warm in a pre-heated oven. When all the whitebait are cooked, divide them between four hot plates, sprinkle them with cayenne and garnish each plate with lemon quarters and parsley...serve very hot with brown bread and butter...

English whitebait is very different to ours!!!

Yes, so I have read...they are the infant stage of both the herring and sprat...according to the book...

1 lb NZ whitebait
1 egg (free range etc,...)
1 t flour ( some dont like this)

Mix gently, and fry in butter. Eat.




However, also on the riverside, whitebait still kicking into flour, then into a really hot frypan with a butter oil mix, as they stop kicking, pull out and eat like chips.


And note - no bloody mint sauce any where near! (white bread with butter maybe acceptable)

I would happily give that a go but the fish would cook faster than the flour would crisp up😆

Can't wait to wet my pot net.
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Originally Posted by Beaker

1 lb NZ whitebait
1 egg (free range etc,...)
1 t flour ( some dont like this)

Mix gently, and fry in butter. Eat.




However, also on the riverside, whitebait still kicking into flour, then into a really hot frypan with a butter oil mix, as they stop kicking, pull out and eat like chips.


And note - no bloody mint sauce any where near! (white bread with butter maybe acceptable)

Have you tried a dash of good homemade mint sauce on whitebait?

It might get the greymouth river taste out of it😆

I mainly just salt and squeeze a bit of lemon on mine. But my wife's homemade mint sauce adds another element to a pattie.

BTW your pattie recipe would come a distant second to mine at the wildfoods festival 😆

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I ordered them when in UK, horrible crunchy things.

Originally Posted by R93

Have you tried a dash of good homemade mint sauce on whitebait?

It might get the greymouth river taste out of it��

I mainly just salt and squeeze a bit of lemon on mine. But my wife's homemade mint sauce adds another element to a pattie.

BTW your pattie recipe would come a distant second to mine at the wildfoods festival ��

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Have tried a lot of different concoctions, and it it all comes back to basics - haven't tried your Mrs sauce, but if your offering, I'll give it a try

Looking back, I had a privileged up bringing (but was normal for everyone around me - coast thing....) I grew up eating whitebait cooked however, crayfish, crabs, flatties, etc..(fishing family).. and as I've got older and spent 100's on small plates of food, that someone has said tastes great, I reckon west coast ( not grey - taramakau or south... ) whitebait and west coast si crayfish are the feed.

Have tried the UK whitebait, single small fish deep-fried..... nice , but not the same as a nice NZ Pattie.

Across the board ( apart from beef)NZ meat and fish are the best in the world.

Originally Posted by R93

Have you tried a dash of good homemade mint sauce on whitebait?

It might get the greymouth river taste out of it��

I mainly just salt and squeeze a bit of lemon on mine. But my wife's homemade mint sauce adds another element to a pattie.

BTW your pattie recipe would come a distant second to mine at the wildfoods festival ��

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Oh and wild foods festival recipe of 6 bait and 1 egg and one roofie, may (and can) beat me......

Having eaten beef all over the world I have not had better than homekill off the family farms. Jersey/herefordshire cross.

Most overrated imo is the Japanese beef, kobe?
I reckon aussies do good pork.
But agree we have the best of the rest.

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