Fried whitebait

Name: Fried whitebait (Cornalitos fritos)
Cuisine: Argentine
Ingredients: 15 ml/1 tbsp capers, chopped; 30 ml/2 tbsp gherkins, finely chopped; 120 ml/4 fl oz/½ cup fresh mayonnaise; salt and ground black pepper; salt and ground black pepper; 2 eggs, lightly beaten; 200 ml/7 fl oz/scant 1 cup cold lager or sparkling water; 200 ml/7 fl oz/scant 1 cup cold lager or sparkling water; 200 g/7 oz/scant 2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour; 600 g/1 lb 6 oz whitebait; 15 ml/1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley; 1 small shallot, finely chopped; 15 ml/1 tbsp lemon juice

Cornalitos fritos

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Food and Cooking of Argentina

By Cesar Bartolini

Published 2014

About

Whitebait are tiny immature fish, usually herring, which are typically deep-fried and eaten whole. They are a classic quick summer snack, often served at beach cafés in Mar del Plata and invariably enjoyed with an ice-cold beer.

Ingredients

600 g/1 lb 6 oz whitebait
200

Americas
Argentina
Mar del Plata
Fish course
Snack
Pescatarian
Summer

Method

Rinse the whitebait in a colander under cold running water. Pat dry with kitchen paper, and season with salt and pepper.
Sift the flour in a bowl, then add the lager or water and eggs and mix together with a whisk or hand-held blender to make