Fried Smelt with Vietnamese Chili-Garlic Sauce
Fried Smelt with Vietnamese Chili-Garlic Sauce: crispy, flavorful, and easy to make! A unique seafood dish with a spicy, tangy twist.
Fried Smelt with Vietnamese Chili-Garlic Sauce
By Walleye Direct
Prep time:
20 minutes
Cook time:
20 minutes
Servings:
4
Ingredients
- 1-pound bag of frozen smelt
- Vegetable oil for frying
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Hungarian paprika
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 or 2 Thai (bird's eye) chilis, or 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek ground chili paste
- ½ cup water
- Juice of half or a whole lime
Instructions
- Pour the frozen smelt into a colander and thaw by running cold water over it. Allow to drip dry — it doesn't have to be completely thawed before cooking. Set aside.
- To make the cornmeal breading, combine the cornmeal, sea salt, garlic powder and paprika in a wide, shallow bowl.
- To make the chili-garlic sauce, place the fresh garlic, sugar and roughly chopped Thai chili(s) in a mortar and pestle (hold the chili if using Sambal Oelek instead) and pound into a paste. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, chop the ingredients finely. Wash your hands after handling chilis.
- Transfer the garlic-chili paste to a bowl and mix with the fish sauce, water and lime juice (and Sambal Oelek, if using). Aim for a balance of salty, spicy and sour — season again to taste.
- Heat oil to 375°F in a medium saucepan. Remove any ice crystals from the smelt, shake off excess moisture and lightly coat with the cornmeal breading. Carefully drop the fish into the hot oil and fry until crispy and golden, about 3-5 minutes. Cook in batches to avoid overcrowding. Drain on paper towels and keep warm while you fry the rest.
- Serve immediately with the Vietnamese dipping sauce on the side; give the sauce a good stir before serving.
