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Crispy Pan Fried Smelts are light, crispy and deliciously addictive. Think of them like little, fishy potato chips, because you definitely cannot just eat one! Paired with lemon wedges and a briny, savory dipping sauce, this traditional Christmas Eve recipe is beloved by Italian Americans far and wide.
Have you ever eaten or cooked smelts? While not a fish that’s generally in high demand, it continues to be a staple for many east coast Italian-American families on Christmas Eve (La Vigilia di Natale) for the Feast of the Seven Fishes, much like their beloved baccala.
Simply coated lightly in a seasoned flour and quickly pan-fried, these Italian smelts come together quickly once you have cleaned smelts (which I highly recommend seeking out!) They’re so delicious on their own and become even better when paired with fresh lemon wedges and the briny caper-olive-cherry pepper dipping sauce recipe included below.
What Are Smelts?
Smelts are a type of small fish (about 4 to 5” or so in length) with a silvery exterior and white. They’re often a popular food source for other fish species, like salmon. They usually start out in fresh water, then often go to the sea. Smelt can be found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as in freshwater rivers and lakes.
As an oily fish, smelts are similar to anchovies and sardines, are nutrient-rich, packed with omega-3s, and are a good of protein. In terms of flavor, they are relatively mild and trout-like. Smelt are a bit oily with a delicate flesh.
With only a few, significant ingredients, this recipe is mostly about ingredient quality and technique and is fairly straightforward and easy. The key to making this recipe quickly is sourcing already cleaned smelt, which you can generally find as it gets closer to Christmas. Having said this, I’ve included instructions below if you need to clean the smelt yourself (as I did here!)
What makes the smelt in this recipe extra crispy is that they are cut open and flattened out–which also means that they cook very quickly! In fact, these fried smelts are so light and delicate that they’re like potato chips (and equally as addictive!)
Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the crispy fried smelts and serve it with the (optional) dipping sauce and you might just have a perfect bite. Hope you give this recipe a try this Christmas Eve! (But be aware that you may fall in love with it and want to make it year-round, like I do!)
Be sure to round out your Christmas Eve menu with some classic Italian-inspired antipasti like baked artichoke hearts, peperonata with olives and capers, roasted peppers or fried peppers, Sicilian caponata, marinated mushrooms, , or mint and vinegar-infused roasted zucchini. And, don’t forget to make some olio santo chili oil as well to pass around the table. Mangia bene!
Ingredients
We’ll need the following ingredients for this Fried Smelt recipe:
- Smelts: This recipe is best with the smaller smelts that generally come from the Great Lakes or Canada regions. They’re about 4” in length and very thin. I purchased them frozen and whole and cleaned them myself, but it is, of course, best to buy them already cleaned if possible. Cleaned smelt seem to be much more common as it gets closer to Christmas.
- Flour and Corn Starch: We use a simple seasoned flour and corn starch mixture to coat the fish lightly before frying. The corn starch increases crispiness. Either all-purpose flour or rice flour (for a gluten-free option) can be used.
- Spices: Use whatever spices you prefer in this recipe. This recipe calls for garlic and onion powders, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper which is a great blend for the mild smelts. Be generous with the spices so that their flavor comes through in the finished fried fish. And, freshness of spices matters! Don’t use an old jar of spices that you’ve had in your pantry for years.
- Oil: While the choice of a frying oil is completely up to you, it’s important to use a high heat-friendly oil. I have just started using this heat-friendly extra-virgin olive oil and I love it, but avocado oil is also a great option. Use a great oil and the end product will taste even better!
- Dipping Sauce Ingredients: I’ve included an optional dipping sauce for the Italian smelts. While not necessary, it’s so darn delicious and incredibly easy with just the right amount of brine and acid to complement the crispy fish! And, it also happens to be great with baccala fritters, fried shrimp and crispy calamari as well as a delicious spread for your favorite burger! Add some Calabrian chili paste to make it molto picante of you want! It’s made with mayonnaise, black olives, pickled cherry peppers, capers, garlic confit and lemon.
- Lemon: It’s great to serve fresh lemon wedges with the fried smelts. A simple squeeze of fresh lemon juice really adds brightness and so much flavor to the fried fish.
How to Make Pan Fried Smelts
- Clean the smelts if you did not purchase them already cleaned (See Recipe below for details.) Pat the fish dry with paper towels.
- PRO-TIP: If you need to clean the fish yourself, it’s a great idea to do this one day in advance, for efficiency on cooking day. Once cleaned, spread them out in q single layer on a paper towel lined sheet pan, and then do a second or third layer, if necessary, putting paper towels in between each later. Wrap the entire sheet pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Make the optional dipping sauce, if including. Chop the olives, cherry peppers and capers together, then add to the mayonnaise along with the other ingredients and mix until all ingredients are well-combined.
- PRO-TIP: This sauce can be made up to two days in advance and held in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Next, make the seasoned flour. Combine the flour, corn starch and spices in a large bowl and mix until all ingredients are well-combined.
- PRO-TIP: Taste test the flour coating by frying a couple of flour-dipped smelts first (the same idea as testing a meatball before making the whole batch). Add more seasoning, if needed.
- Set up a station by arranging the following in a row: prepped, cleaned and patted-dry smelts next to a bowl of seasoned flour which should be next to the frying pan on the stovetop. On the other side of the pan, have a landing place for the fried smelts: either a rack over a sheet pan (my preferred method which keeps the fish crispier) or paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Add enough oil to a large nonstick pan, stainless-steel skillet or cast iron pan to cover the bottom of the pan by at least ¼”. Heat the oil over medium heat until bubbles form around a wooden spoon inserted in the oil.
- PRO-TIP: If the floured fish is placed in the pan before the oil is hot enough, it will absorb too much oil, become soggy and the coating may fall off.
- Flour the fish just before adding them to the hot oil. Add several at a time to the flour mixture for efficiency. Lightly toss them in the bowl, then remove them one-by-one, gently shaking off excess flour before adding them to the hot oil.
- PRO-TIP: Be sure to not crowd the pan or pile the fish on. Keep them in a single layer and fry in batches.
- Fry smelts until lightly golden–about 1½ to 2 minutes each, turning them over halfway through. They cook quickly because they’re so small!
- Once crispy and cooked, transfer the crispy fried smelt to a rack placed over a sheet pan or on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- As each batch of smelts come out of the oil, sprinkle them lightly with some salt, if desired. Continue frying the remainder of the fish. Then, they’re ready to eat! Transfer the fried smelts to a serving platter and serve them as is or with lemon wedges and the delicious optional dipping sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fried Smelts
Buy cleaned smelt fish if at all possible! You can generally find them cleaned the closer we are to Christmas. Having said this, I cleaned all these smelts myself. While it is not necessarily a fun task, it is easy and just takes some time. I suggest doing it one day in advance for efficiency. Here’s how to do it:
– First, be sure the smelt are fully thawed (if previously frozen).
– Place smelt in a colander and rinse them under running cold water.
– Then, cut off and discard the head just under the gills.
– Next, cut open the belly of each fish with kitchen shears.
– You’ll see the fish entrails (guts) inside. Using your fingers (wear gloves if you get grossed out easily) and under lightly running cold water, remove the guts and rinse the inside thoroughly.
– At this point, you can also remove the bone if you want, but almost everyone leaves it in as it is very tiny and edible. (NOTE: Be careful if you remove the bone as the fish are so little that it’s easy to destroy the fish while pulling the tiny bone out.)
– Open and flatten out the fish.
– Pat them dry with a paper towel or let them dry out either on a rack or in a colander.
– Once cleaned and dry, you can refrigerate them overnight until you are ready to cook them. Spread them out in a single layer on a paper towel lined sheet pan, and then do a second or third layer, if necessary, putting paper towels in between each later. Wrap the entire sheet pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
– This link has great photos of the exact steps you’ll need to take to clean the smelts.
I bought a 2-pound bag of frozen (uncleaned) whole smelts at my local grocery store in the frozen fish section. Be sure to check there first. (I live in New Jersey.) Local fish markets are also likely to have them, either fresh or frozen. If you are in a big fishing town, you may be able to find them fresh.
I find that there is more probability of finding smelts already cleaned as it gets closer to Christmas, especially in the Italian-heavy northeast part of the U.S., since so many people buy them for Christmas Eve.
While the choice of a frying oil is completely up to you, it’s important to use a high heat-friendly oil. I have just started using this heat-friendly extra-virgin olive oil and I love it, but avocado oil is also a great option. Use a great oil and the end product will taste even better!
There are two different types of smelts: small and thin smelts (about 4” long) that are mostly from Canada and the Great Lakes region and larger, bulkier smelts (about 6-7” long) from Argentina. I used the small version from the Great Lakes area and this is the best type for this recipe as they have a tiny bone that can be eaten and they cook very quickly. The larger version have a large bone/rib cage that must be removed. This can be done after cooking. To remove the rib cage, grab on the spine with your fingers on the end where the head was. The entire rib cage should pull out very easily.
Also, note that if you are using the much large Argentinian smelt, they will take longer to cook than the small ones that we used in this recipe.
Yes, to cut down on the amount of oil, you can cook these Italian smelts in an air fryer. But, this method is not preferred as you cannot stack the fish and will only be able to do a small amount at a time.
Preheat the air fryer to 390°F. After dredging the fish in the seasoned flour and shaking off the excess, spray both sides of each piece of fish generously with oil. Carefully place the fish in the air fryer basket in a single layer making sure not to overcrowd it. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes per side until they are lightly golden and crispy. Flip the fish about halfway through cooking.
More Seafood Recipes for the Feast of the Seven Fishes
- Stuffed Calamari in Tomato Sauce
- Baccala in Tomato Sauce with Potatoes
- Scungilli Marinara with Linguine
- Scungilli Salad (Conch Salad)
- Italian Baccala Salad
- Stoccafisso ~ Baked (Air Dried) Cod, a.k.a., Stockfish
- Crispy Baked Calamari (No Frying Required!)
- Salt Cod Fritters
- Pan-Fried Butterflied Shrimp
- Shrimp Oreganata in White Wine Lemon Butter
- Stuffed Baked Clams
- Sautéed Clams in Red Sauce
- Linguine with Clams in a Red Sauce
- Mussels Marinara in Red Sauce (Zuppa di Mussels)
- Shrimp Scampi Pasta with Arugula
- Spicy Garlic Shrimp
- Spicy Sautéed Calamari (Not Fried)
- Spaghetti and Crabs
- Calamari, Potato and Peas
- Calamari Ragu Fra Diavolo with Bucatini
TOP TIPS FOR PAN FRIED SMELTS
- Smelts: Buy cleaned smelt fish if at all possible! You can generally find them cleaned the closer we are to Christmas. Having said this, I cleaned all these smelts myself. While it is not necessary a fun task, it is easy and just takes some time.
- If you purchase smelt already cleaned, you don’t have to cut them through the belly and flatten them out–you can leave them whole. Opening them up and flattening them will make them crispier though!
- Fish Bones: Smelt bones are so tiny that almost everyone just leaves them in and eats them (similar to anchovies).
- NOTE: I used the smaller, tiny smelt (about 4’ long and thin) form the Great Lakes region. If you are using the significantly larger smelts from Argentina, you will have to remove the bone (rib cage) for this recipe, but this can be done after cooking.
- Oil: While the choice of a frying oil is completely up to you, it’s important to use a high heat-friendly oil in this fried smelts recipe. I have just started using this heat-friendly extra-virgin olive oil and I love it, but avocado oil is also a great option. Use a great oil and the end product will taste even better!
- Pay attention to oil temperature. The oil in the pan should be hot enough before you add the smelts, but not excessively hot, which could cause the flour to burn before the fish is cooked. Add the smelts slowly to the pan so that the oil does not cool down too much.
- Use a large bowl or a baking sheet to do the flour dredging or a sealable bag. Make it easy on yourself. And, be sure to shake off excess flour before placing the fish in the hot oil.
- Use a large skillet! Don’t use a small pan as it will make you miserable. Give yourself enough space to fry. Nonstick will make you happier as well.
- Work in batches and don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Use a rack to drain the fried smelts to keep them crispier or a paper towel.
- Recipe Variations: This is a pretty basic recipe with a couple options:
- For a gluten-free option, use rice flour in place of all-purpose flour.
- Spices: Use whatever spices you prefer. (Lemon pepper and celery salt are also popular options.) Be generous with them so that their flavor comes through in the finished fried fish.
- Dipping Sauce: This sauce is so delicious! It’s also great for fried shrimp and crispy calamari as well as a delicious spread for your favorite burger! (Think of it like an Italian tartar sauce.) Add some Calabrian chili paste to make it molto picante if you want!
- Leftovers: I suggest making only what you plan on eating of this fried smelts recipe. They really are best enjoyed while fresh and crispy. Leftovers will lose their crispiness and become soft, so I don’t recommend storing or reheating these little fried fish.
More Great Recipes to Try
I hope that you are enjoying my Italian food blog and all of my Italian recipes and Italian-American recipes!
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Crispy Pan Fried Smelts (Italian Christmas Eve Recipe)
Equipment
- Kitchen Shears (optional; will need if cleaning the fish yourself)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds smelt fish, cleaned and patted dry (See Notes.)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (or rice flour for a gluten-free option)
- ¼ cup corn starch
- 1½ tsp fine salt
- 1½ tsp garlic powder
- 1½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- ½ tsp black ppper
- Oil as needed for frying (See Notes.)
- Salt for finishing (salt flakes or coarse salt is preferred; optional)
- Dipping Sauce (optional; see recipe below)
- Lemon wedges (optional; for serving)
For the Dipping Sauce (optional):
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp garlic confit cloves, mashed with a fork
- 2 Tbsp pitted and rough chopped black, oil-cured olives
- 2 Tbsp rough chopped, pickled cherry peppers (hot or sweet)
- 1 Tbsp capers, drained
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Zest from 1 lemon (zest the lemon before juicing it!)
- Pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients according to the specifications above. Clean the smelts if you did not purchase them already cleaned (See Notes below for details.) If you purchased cleaned (gutted) smelts, you should still rinse them gently under cool running water to wash away any debris left over from processing. Pat the fish dry with paper towels.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)2 pounds smelt fish,
- Then, make the optional dipping sauce, if including. Chop the olives, cherry peppers and capers together, then add to the mayonnaise along with the other ingredients and mix until all ingredients are well-combined. Let this mixture sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes prior to serving to allow the flavors to combine. This sauce can be made up to two days in advance and held in an airtight container in the refrigerator.½ cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp garlic confit cloves,, 2 Tbsp pitted and rough chopped black, oil-cured olives, 2 Tbsp rough chopped, pickled cherry peppers (hot or sweet), 1 Tbsp capers,, 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, Zest from 1 lemon, Pinch black pepper
- Next, make the seasoned flour. Combine the flour, corn starch and spices in a large bowl and mix until all ingredients are well-combined. (My suggestion: Taste test the flour coating by frying a couple of flour-dipped smelts first–the same idea as testing a meatball before making the whole batch. Add more seasoning, if needed.)¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup corn starch, 1½ tsp fine salt, 1½ tsp garlic powder, 1½ tsp onion powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, ½ tsp black ppper
- Set up a station by arranging the following in a row: prepped, cleaned and patted-dry smelts next to a bowl of seasoned flour which should be next to the frying pan on the stovetop. On the other side of the pan, have a landing place for the fried smelts: either a rack over a sheet pan (my preferred method which keeps the fish crispier) or paper towels to drain excess oil. See my set-up in photo above.
- Add enough oil to a large nonstick pan, stainless-steel skillet or cast iron pan to cover the bottom of the pan by at least ¼”. Heat the oil over medium heat until bubbles form around a wooden spoon inserted in the oil. If the floured fish is placed in the pan before the oil is hot enough, it will absorb too much oil, become soggy and the coating may fall off.
- Flour the fish just before adding them to the hot oil. Add several at a time to the flour mixture for efficiency. Lightly toss them in the bowl, then remove them one-by-one, gently shaking off excess flour before adding them to the hot oil. Be sure to not crowd the pan or pile the fish on. Keep them in a single layer and fry in batches. NOTE: It’s best not to flour the fish and let them sit as the moist fish will start to absorb and moisten the flour, which is not ideal for frying.
- Fry smelts until lightly golden–about 1½ to 2 minutes each, turning them over halfway through. They cook quickly because they’re so small! (NOTE: Depending on how much oil you have in the pan, you may not need to turn the fish over if they are fully immersed in the oil. Also, the frying time is an estimate and will vary bases on the size of your smelts. The larger the fish, the longer they will take to cook.)
- Once crispy and cooked, transfer the fried smelts to a rack placed over a sheet pan. This will help the fish to maintain their crispiness rather than placing them on a paper towel. (But you can place them on a paper towel if you prefer.)
- As each batch of smelts come out of the oil, sprinkle them lightly with some salt, if desired. Continue frying the remainder of the fish. Then, they’re ready to eat!
- Transfer the fried smelts to a serving platter and serve them as is or with lemon wedges and the delicious optional dipping sauce. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- There are two different types of smelts: small and thin smelts (about 4” long) that are mostly from Canada and the Great Lakes region and larger, bulkier smelts (about 6-7” long) from Argentina. I used the small version from the Great Lakes area and this is the best type for this recipe as they have a tiny bone that can be eaten and they cook very quickly. The larger version have a large bone/rib cage that must be removed. (See Frequently Asked Questions above.)
- Buy cleaned smelt fish if at all possible! They are usually available cleaned the closer you are to Christmas. (NOTE: The suggested prep time above does not include time for cleaning.) Having said this, I cleaned all these smelts myself. While it is not necessarily a fun task, it is easy and just takes some time. I suggest doing it one day in advance for efficiency. Here’s how to do it:
-
- First, be sure the smelt are fully thawed (if previously frozen).
- Place smelt in a colander and rinse them under running cold water.
- Then, cut off and discard the head just under the gills.
- Next, cut open the belly of each fish with kitchen shears.
- You’ll see the fish entrails (guts) inside. Using your fingers (wear gloves if you get grossed out easily) and under lightly running cold water, remove the guts and rinse the inside thoroughly.
- At this point, you can also remove the bone if you want, but almost everyone leaves it in as it is very tiny and edible. (NOTE: Be careful if you remove the bone as the fish are so little that it’s easy to destroy the fish while pulling the tiny bone out.)
- Open and flatten out the fish.
- Pat them dry with a paper towel or let them dry out either on a rack or in a colander.
- Once cleaned and dry, you can refrigerate them overnight until you are ready to cook them. Spread them out in q single layer on a paper towel lined sheet pan, and then do a second or third layer, if necessary, putting paper towels in between each later. Wrap the entire sheet pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- This link has great photos of the exact steps you’ll need to take to clean the smelts.
-
- If you purchase smelt already cleaned, you don’t have to cut them through the belly and flatten them out–you can leave them whole. Opening them up and flattening them will make them crispier though!
- Smelt bones are so tiny that almost everyone just leaves them in and eats them (similar to anchovies). NOTE: I used the smaller, tiny smelt (about 4’ long and thin) form the Great Lakes region. If you are using the significantly larger smelts from Argentina, you will have to remove the bone (rib cage) for this recipe, but this can be done after cooking.
- If starting with frozen smelts, be sure to fully defrost them in the refrigerator before using.
- While the choice of a frying oil is completely up to you, it’s important to use a high heat-friendly oil. I have just started using this heat-friendly extra-virgin olive oil and I love it, but avocado oil and pure/virgin olive oil are also great options. Use a great oil and the end product will taste even better!
- Pay attention to oil temperature. The oil in the pan should be hot enough before you add the smelts, but not excessively hot, which could cause the flour to burn before the fish is cooked. Add the smelts slowly to the pan so that the oil does not cool down too much.
- Use a large bowl or a baking sheet to do the flour dredging. Make it easy on yourself. And, be sure to shake off excess flour before placing the fish in the hot oil. You can also use a large sealable bag for the flour coating if you prefer. Add flour to the bag and only enough fish for one round of frying at a time, gently shake to coat fish, remove fish, shake off excess flour, then add fish to oil.)
- Use a large skillet! Don’t use a small pan as it will make you miserable. Give yourself enough space to fry. Nonstick will make you happier as well.
- Work in batches and don’t overcrowd the pan.
- If you’ve been frying for awhile, the oil may become cloudy and dark from the residual flour and seasonings that have fallen off the fish and have burnt. Use your judgment, but, at some point, you may need to clean the pan and start with a fresh amount of oil. Alternatively, you can let the oil cool completely, and then drain it through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter into a clean container. By doing this, you can reuse the oil.
- Use a rack to drain the fried smelts to keep them crispier or a paper towel.
- I just want to comment that there is definitely shrinkage in cooking smelts! Like a big pile of greens that becomes a small bowl once sautéed, a two-pound batch of raw whole smelts will shrink down to a much smaller volume once fried. But, as they are generally one dish as part of a larger seafood dinner, a 2-pound batch will generally be enough for 8 people.
- The optional dipping sauce recipe makes about 2/3 cup sauce. And, by the way, this sauce is so delicious–think of it like an Italian tartar sauce! Add some Calabrian chili paste to make it molto picante if you want.
- I suggest making only what you plan on eating as these fried smelt fish are best enjoyed while fresh and crispy. Leftovers will lose their crispiness and become soft, so I don’t recommend storing or reheating these little fried fish.
Awwww, thank you so much! It reminds me of our family’s Christmas Eve spread which was amazing and included smelts. Sooo good
Same here! I grew up with smelts, but this recipe is a little bit different and much crispier than the ones I had back then. Hope you enjoy it!