Fried sprats are quick, cheap and perfect for a weekday lunch. The small Black Sea fish gets coated in flour and fried until golden, and a sharp garlic sauce rounds off the flavor. In under 30 minutes you have a hot meal on the table.

35 minprep 15 min · cook 20 min
4 servingsLunch
Easydifficulty
360 kcalper serving

Ingredients

For the fish

  • 800 gfresh sprats
  • 1 tspsalt
  • 150 gwheat flour
  • 300 mlsunflower oil (for frying)
  • 1lemon (to serve)

For the garlic sauce

  • 6 clovesgarlic
  • 100 mloil
  • 2 tbspwhite vinegar
  • 3 tbspcold water
  • 1/4 tspsalt

Method

  1. Clean the sprats

    Rinse 800 g of fresh sprats under cold running water, then drain them in a colander for 5 minutes. Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper and salt both sides with 1 tsp of salt. Let them sit for 5 minutes to take in the salt before you coat them in flour.

  2. Coat in flour

    Spread 150 g of flour on a shallow plate. Roll each sprat in the flour, shake off the excess and lay them in a single layer on a board. Coat the whole batch before you heat the oil, so you can move fast once frying starts.

  3. Heat the oil

    Pour 300 ml of oil into a wide, heavy-bottomed pan and heat it over medium-high heat to 180°C.

    Drop a small piece of bread into the oil: if it turns golden in 15 seconds, the oil is hot enough to fry.

  4. Fry in batches

    Add the sprats to the hot oil in small batches so the pan isn't crowded. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and crisp, turning them carefully with a spatula so the fish doesn't fall apart.

    Fried sprats with garlic sauce — fry in batches

  5. Drain the fish

    Lift out the fried sprats with a slotted spoon and lay them on paper towels to soak up the extra oil. Fry the next batch right away in the same oil to keep the temperature steady.

  6. Make the garlic sauce

    Crush 6 cloves of garlic with 1/4 tsp of salt in a mortar until smooth. Stir in 100 ml of oil, 2 tbsp of vinegar and 3 tbsp of cold water until the sauce turns smooth and slightly thick.

  7. Serve hot

    Arrange the fried sprats on a plate while they're still hot and put the garlic sauce in a small bowl beside them. Garnish with lemon slices and serve right away to keep them crisp.

    Fried sprats with garlic sauce — serve hot

How to serve it

Serve with a shopska salad of tomatoes and cucumbers, plus a piece of fresh bread for the sauce.

Fun fact

Fried sprats are a traditional dish along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, where the small fish are caught in huge numbers in summer and served at coastal restaurants as a quick bite from the sea.

Per serving (approx.): 360 kcal · protein 22 g · fat 25 g · carbs 14 g