Name: Crisp-Fried Smelt or Whitebait and Onions (Begoto)
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: Hot Pepper and Herb Mix or freshly ground black pepper; Salt; Olive oil or a combination of olive oil and safflower oil for frying; ½ cup all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half-moons; 1 pound smelt or whitebait, rinsed

Preparation info

Makes
4
servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Foods of the Greek Islands

By Aglaia Kremezi

Published 2000

About

THIS SIMPLE dish is one of the traditional foods served in Chian tavernas and is usually eaten as a meze, accompanied by the local ouzo. To make it, tiny Aegean fish—a kind of tasty smelt or whitebait—are mixed with onions and fried in olive oil, a delicious combination.

Of the various begoto that I have tasted, I prefer the one served at Theodosiou, a tiny old taverna at the harbor of Chios Town. The place is always packed when it’s open, but as the owner prefers to e