Small sprats are not filleted. They are fried whole, so prep takes about 10 minutes. They turn crisp when they are dry before the flour goes on and the oil is hot.
Ingredients
- 800 gsprats, fresh, whole
- 1 tspsalt
- to tasteblack pepper, ground
- 120 gflour (about 8 tbsp)
- 500 mloil for frying
To serve
- 1lemon
- 4 sprigsparsley
You will need: a 28 cm frying pan, a colander, a slotted spoon
Method
Rinse the fish
Put 800 g of sprats in a colander and rinse them under cold water. Leave them to drain for 3 minutes.
Small sprats are fried whole, with the head on. Clean larger ones like this: pull off the head with your fingers and the guts come out with it.
Dry and salt
Spread the sprats on a clean towel and pat the tops dry with another. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt and black pepper to taste, then leave for 5 minutes. Wet fish makes the coating soft, and it comes off in the oil.
Coat in flour
Put 120 g of flour on a wide plate. Toss the sprats in the flour a small handful at a time, then shake off the extra in the colander. Do this just before frying, or the flour turns damp and clumps.
The coat should be thin, almost see-through, not a white crust.
Heat the oil
Pour 500 ml of oil into the 28 cm pan, so it is about 1 cm deep. Heat on medium to high for about 3 minutes. The oil is ready when tiny bubbles form around the handle of a wooden spoon dipped into it.
Fry in batches
Add about a third of the sprats to the pan in a single layer. Fry on medium to high for 3 minutes, until the underside is golden, then turn and fry for 2 more minutes. Repeat twice with the rest, because in a crowded pan the oil cools and the fish soaks it up.
Between batches, skim the crumbs out of the oil with a slotted spoon, or they burn and turn bitter.
Drain the sprats
Lift the cooked sprats out with a slotted spoon and lay them on a plate lined with paper towel. Leave for 1–2 minutes while the paper soaks up the extra oil.
Serve with lemon
Cut 1 lemon into 4 wedges. Arrange the sprats on a plate and add the lemon and 4 sprigs of parsley. Squeeze lemon over the fish just before you eat it.
How to serve
Serve at once while hot, with shopska salad and a slice of bread.
How to store
They taste best right after frying. Leftovers keep for up to 1 day in the fridge in an open container. Reheat them in a 180°C oven for 8 minutes, on a rack. Do not freeze them.
What you can use instead
- Instead of sprats: 800 g of anchovies, fried for 2 minutes on each side.
- Gluten-free: use 120 g of fine cornmeal instead of flour. The times stay the same.
- For a bigger crunch: 60 g of flour and 60 g of cornmeal, mixed on the plate.
Questions and answers
Why are my sprats not crisp?
Most often the fish is wet before the flour goes on, or the oil is not hot enough. Dry them well with a towel and fry small batches.
How many sprats does one person need?
For dinner, plan on about 200 g of raw fish per person. As a snack with a drink, 120 g is enough.
Can I bake sprats in the oven instead of frying them?
Yes, but they come out drier. Put the floured sprats in a baking tray, sprinkle with oil and bake at 220°C for about 12 minutes.
Do I need to clean sprats before frying?
Small ones need no cleaning. You fry them whole. If they are larger, pull off the head and the guts come out with it.
Did you know
Sprats are small fish caught in the Black Sea. Along the Bulgarian coast, people fry them whole.
Per serving (approximate): 520 kcal · protein 34 g · fat 33 g · carbohydrates 22 g
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