Éperlans Grillés

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small flexible fish knife or sharp paring knife
• •Kitchen shears
• •Large rimmed sheet pan with fitted wire rack
• •Thin fish spatula
• •6-inch (15 cm) deep saucepan
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Long heatproof serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the maître d’hôtel

   Beat the softened butter with the chopped flat-leaf parsley, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and half the white pepper. Work it until evenly green-flecked and creamy, then cover and keep it cool but not hard. This butter will be half-melted just before serving, so it must begin supple enough to soften evenly.

   Use real butter. Margarine cannot give beurre maître d’hôtel its clean flavor or its creamy half-melted texture.
2. 2

   Fry the parsley

   Heat the neutral oil in a small deep saucepan to 350°F (175°C). The parsley must be absolutely dry because water makes hot oil spit. Lower in two or three sprigs at a time and fry for 10 to 15 seconds, just until bright green and crisp. Lift them onto paper, season with a small pinch of salt, and repeat. If the oil spits sharply, move the pan off the heat and let it settle before continuing; never reach over it.

3. 3

   Open the smelts

   Lay one smelt belly-down. Starting just behind the head, run the tip of a sharp flexible knife along one side of the backbone almost to the tail, then repeat on the other side. Open the fish from the back like a book without cutting through the belly skin, remove the viscera, and wipe the cavity clean. Snip through the backbone about ½ inch (1 cm) behind the head and the same distance before the tail, then lift out the long central section, leaving the two small anchors directed by the source. If the flesh begins to tear, stop pulling and snip the bone closer instead; a small tear can be laid closed on the rack and will barely show once floured. Repeat with the remaining fish, then blot every surface thoroughly dry.

4. 4

   Dredge and butter

   Position an oven rack about 4 inches (10 cm) below the broiler and heat the broiler on high for at least 10 minutes. Line a large rimmed sheet pan with foil and set a lightly buttered wire rack over it. Season the opened smelts with the remaining salt and pepper, dredge them on both sides in the flour, and shake each one firmly so only a thin veil remains. Brush both sides generously with the melted butter. Flour left thick turns pasty under the broiler; the fish should look dusted, not breaded.

5. 5

   Broil fast

   Arrange the smelts open and flesh-side up on the rack without overlapping. Broil for about 2 minutes, until the butter sputters and the flour takes small hazelnut-gold patches. Turn them gently with a thin fish spatula and broil for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the skins glisten, the flesh is opaque, and the finest edges are lightly crisp. If the butter darkens before the flour colors, lower the pan one rack level immediately. If chalky spots remain when the fish are nearly done, touch those spots with a little more melted butter and broil for only 20 seconds. Small fish have no patience.

6. 6

   Half-melt the butter

   Put the beurre maître d’hôtel in a small saucepan over the lowest heat. Stir just until roughly half the butter has melted and the rest remains soft, making a creamy, spoonable mixture rather than a pool of clear fat. If it separates, take it off the heat, set the base of the pan in a bowl of cool tap water, and whisk until it turns creamy again. Ça se rattrape. Transfer it to a warmed sauceboat.

7. 7

   Serve at once

   Warm a long platter with hot tap water, dry it well, and arrange the Éperlans Grillés head-to-tail while they are still glossy from the broiler. Surround them with the lemon rounds and gather the fried parsley into small bunches along the platter. Serve the half-melted beurre maître d’hôtel separately, letting each person spoon it over the fish. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose the largest smelts available, ideally 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 cm) long. Tiny ones are better left whole for friture; larger fish give your knife enough room to remove the spine without mangling the flesh.
• •Frozen smelts are an honest choice when fresh ones are unavailable. Thaw them overnight on a rack in the refrigerator, then blot them particularly well; preserved at their peak is better than tired fish pretending to be fresh.
• •Ask a fishmonger to open the smelts along the back and remove only the central spine if you want help, but be precise. A belly slit or complete removal of the head and tail changes the preparation set down in the source.
• •Serve immediately. These fish go from delicate to dry quickly, and no warming oven improves them. A dry Loire white such as Muscadet, plain boiled potatoes, and the beurre maître d’hôtel make a generous weeknight table.

Advance Preparation

• •The beurre maître d’hôtel can be mixed up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Let it soften before half-melting so the parsley and lemon remain evenly suspended.
• •The smelts may be opened, cleaned, and partly boned up to 6 hours ahead. Keep them uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator so their surfaces stay dry, then season and flour only when the broiler is hot.
• •Fry the parsley no more than 1 hour ahead and leave it uncovered at room temperature. Refrigeration softens it, and covering traps moisture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 170g)