Share Your Favorite Smelt Recipe

[sthrcave]

I didn't get a chance to get any smelt, but I am curious how you all like to prepare them. Maybe seeing all of these recipes will help me prepare for next year.

Thanks!

[AJ's Dad]

I would use the same recipie I use for every fish I catch.
Catch one fish, combine with one or 2 photographs and mix gently with a big handfull of "Let that sucker go"!
I looooove to catch fish but I don't eat em. Hopefully someone else will be more helpfull to you than I was. LOL.

[racfish]

I eat smelt a couple ways. My favorite is a flour ,egg wash ,flour again and fry . Fried smelt are awesome. I clean the larger ones but fry the smaller ones whole. If you get a female with roe its a bonus. After frying I split them down the back and eat the meat leaving the skeletor remains. If frying fish is not your thing then I poach smelt also using a heavy skillet . Place the smelt in the pan with butter white wine and lemon juice. Boil for a few minutes then Voila. One other way is to smoke them. With the remainding smelt I freeze them and use for Salt water fishing when no Herring are around.

[sthrcave]

Fried smelt sound tasty. I have heard that once fried you can pull the heads of the smaller ones off and the entrails go with the head then you can just pop the rest into your mouth bones and all. I've never tried it though.

In Alaska we used to get huge runs of smelt and I'd always net a few to be brined and used as bait. Sometimes we would use live ones as bait as well. They're a bit tougher than herring and the butts and lings loved them.

[Mordalphus]

We always pan fried them with corn oil with a little bit of sesame oil. Taste like heaven! The females are the best with the creamy eggs that pop like little salty capsules of yum. Oh man, now I gotta go jig up some smelt! When is La Conners smelt derby? Did that already happen?

[kingroobes]

I've heard they are excellent brined and smoked whole, due to the high fat content. Then again what isn't good smoked