Éperlans à l’Anglaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Narrow flexible filleting knife
• •Fish-bone tweezers
• •Three shallow dishes for coating
• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Thin fish slice
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan
• •Long ovenproof serving platter
• •Instant-read frying thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Open and bone

   Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and place a long ovenproof serving platter inside. Keep the smelts cold as you work. Lay one fish belly-down and use the tip of a narrow flexible knife to cut along one side of the backbone from just behind the head to near the tail, then repeat along the other side. Open the fish through the back like a book without cutting through the belly skin. Snip the backbone near the head and tail, lift it out carefully, and remove any visible pin bones with tweezers. Close the fish so it regains its slender shape, then repeat with the remaining smelts. Blot every fish completely dry inside and out.

2. 2

   Apply the anglaise

   Arrange three shallow dishes in order: the flour, the Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174), and the fine breadcrumbs. Work with four or five smelts at a time. Dust each lightly with flour and shake away every loose patch, coat it thoroughly in the Anglaise, let the excess drain, then lay it in the crumbs. Cover both sides and pat very lightly with the flat of a broad knife so the coating adheres without becoming thick or compacted. Rest the coated fish for 5 minutes. If a bare patch opens when you lift one, dab that spot with a little more Anglaise, cover it with crumbs, and rest it for another 2 minutes. Ça se rattrape.

   Fine crumbs make the close, even crust intended here. Coarse crumbs leave gaps through which the fish releases moisture, and they brown before the delicate flesh is ready.
3. 3

   Heat the butter

   Pour enough clarified butter into a 12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet to form a layer about ⅛ inch (3 to 4 mm) deep, reserving the rest to replenish the pan. Heat it over medium-high heat to 350 to 360°F (175 to 182°C). Without a thermometer, drop in a pinch of crumbs: they should rise at once amid lively bubbles and turn gold gradually, not blacken on contact. If the butter smokes or the test crumbs darken immediately, pull the pan from the heat for 30 seconds. If the crumbs sink with barely a bubble, wait. Very hot fat sets the egg-and-crumb coat before it can absorb butter.

4. 4

   Fry in batches

   Lower four or five smelts into the hot clarified butter without crowding them. Fry undisturbed for 1½ to 2 minutes, until the underside is an even butter-gold and the edges of the crust look fixed. Turn each fish once with a thin fish slice and cook the second side for 1 to 1½ minutes, until crisp and golden; the flesh inside should be opaque and separate in moist flakes. If the coating remains pale and greasy, the butter cooled too far. Lift the fish out, restore the heat, and return them for 20 to 30 seconds per side. Drain each batch on a wire rack for half a minute, then transfer it to the warm platter. Replenish the clarified butter as needed and let it regain its heat before the next batch.

5. 5

   Finish with butter

   Set the Butter à la Maître d’Hôtel (No. 150) over a bowl of warm water and stir just until it resembles a soft cream with a little melted butter around its edges. It should be half-melted, not reduced to clear oil. If it liquefies completely, set the bowl briefly in cool water and whisk until creamy again. Spoon the butter over the arranged smelts in small glossy drops and loose ribbons so its parsley and lemon season the fish without drowning the crust. Carry the long platter directly to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger for medium smelts that have been cleaned through the gills rather than split along the belly. That leaves the belly skin intact when you open them down the back. If only frozen smelts are available, thaw them slowly in the refrigerator and dry them thoroughly. Honest frozen fish is better than tired fresh fish.
• •Use fine, dry crumbs from plain white bread, sifted after grinding. Panko is too coarse for this treatment; the classical crust should sit close to the fish, not stand around it in jagged flakes.
• •Clarified butter matters because its milk solids have been removed, allowing it to reach the heat that sets the coating without scorching. We don't apologize for butter, but neither do we burn it.
• •Serve the smelts immediately, with a sharply dressed green salad and boiled new potatoes if this is the main course. A dry Muscadet or another lean, mineral white keeps pace with the lemon and parsley without covering the fish.
• •Fried smelts wait badly. If any remain, refrigerate them promptly and reheat once on a rack in a 400°F (200°C) oven until the crust firms again. A microwave softens the coating.

Advance Preparation

• •The Butter à la Maître d’Hôtel (No. 150) can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Soften only the portion needed for serving.
• •The Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) can be prepared earlier the same day, covered and refrigerated, then whisked briefly before use. Keep it cold because it contains raw egg.
• •The smelts can be opened and boned up to 4 hours ahead. Arrange them between clean absorbent towels on a tray, cover, and refrigerate until coating time.
• •Do not apply the coating more than 15 minutes before frying. A long wait lets moisture from the fish soften the crumbs before they ever meet the butter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 230g)