Sprats

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small sharp paring knife
• •Shallow nonreactive glass or ceramic dish
• •Thin fish spatula or palette knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the sprats

   Choose fish that feel plump through the belly and bend slightly rather than snapping like dry twigs. Cut off each head just behind the gills with a small sharp knife. Leave the skins on for a firmer texture and fuller smoke, or ease them away from the head end if you prefer. If a skin pulls off in patches and tears the flesh, stop. Ça se rattrape: leave the remaining skin in place and lay that sprat damaged-side down on a shallow nonreactive dish. Arrange all the fish in one close layer.

   Colour varies with the smoking, so judge the fish by body and suppleness. Broad, fleshy sprats remain savoury through the long marinade; lean ones lose what little richness they have.
2. 2

   Make the light dressing

   Scatter the finely chopped shallot and parsley evenly over the sprats. Stir the neutral oil, red wine vinegar, and fully chilled Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) together just until blended, then spoon the dressing sparingly over the fish. Very little is the point. The sprats should glisten, not float, and they need no added salt because the smoke has already supplied it.

3. 3

   Marinate, turning often

   Cover the dish and refrigerate the sprats for five to six hours. Every sixty to ninety minutes, slide a thin spatula beneath each fish, turn it gently, and spoon the shallot, parsley, and pooled dressing back over the exposed side. This turning is the dish: without it, one side drinks the marinade while the other stays dry. If a sprat begins to split, stop lifting it with your fingers. Use the spatula, settle the broken pieces together, and continue dressing them as one fish.

4. 4

   Finish the platter

   Take the sprats from the refrigerator about ten minutes before serving and turn them once more. Spoon the shallot and parsley over their tops, carrying only enough liquid to leave a clean gloss. If an oily puddle has formed, lift the fish onto a fresh platter and return the chopped seasoning with a teaspoon of the dressing. Serve cool, not numb from the refrigerator. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy the fleshiest smoked sprats you can find. Their bellies should look broad and their bodies supple, with no papery edges. The lean, brittle kind remain dry no matter how faithfully you turn them.
• •The source leaves the skin to the eater's taste. Keep it when it is thin and pleasant because it holds the delicate flesh together; remove it when it feels leathery or overly smoky.
• •Do not season the dressing with salt before it meets the fish. After the first hour, taste a drop from the dish. If the vinegar bites too sharply, soften it with a teaspoon of oil; if the dressing tastes flat, add half a teaspoon of vinegar.
• •Serve with thin slices of toasted rye or pain de campagne. A cold Muscadet or a crisp northern blonde beer answers the smoke and vinegar without covering the fish.

Advance Preparation

• •Have the finished Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) thoroughly chilled before beginning. The sprats themselves can be headed and, if desired, skinned one day ahead, then covered closely and refrigerated.
• •Begin the full marinade five to six hours before serving. The finished dish is best the same day; an overnight soak makes the shallot too assertive and the surface of the fish soft.
• •Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator and eat them within two days. Let each portion lose its refrigerator chill for a few minutes before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 66g)