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Devilled Whitebait Recipe
by Tony Fleming
4
30 minutes
Ingredients

Whitebait and calamari

  • 500g of whitebait, fresh
  • 1000g of squid, fresh and cleaned
  • 2l rapeseed oil, or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
  • lemon
  • salt

For the devilled mixture

  • 250g of plain flour
  • 20g of hot smoked paprika
  • 7.5g of cayenne pepper
  • 7.5g of mustard powder
  • 5g of salt

Tartare sauce

  • 300g of mayonnaise
  • 80g of shallots, finely diced
  • 60g of capers, finely diced
  • 60g of cornichons, finely diced
  • 25g of parsley, finely chopped
  • 25g of tarragon, finely chopped
  • 25g of chervil, finely chopped
  • salt, to taste
  • ground white pepper, to taste
Method
1
First, make the tartare sauce. Place the mayonnaise in a bowl and fold in all of the remaining ingredients until thoroughly combined. Store in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to serve
  • 300g of mayonnaise
  • 80g of shallots, finely diced
  • 60g of capers, finely diced
  • 60g of cornichons, finely diced
  • 25g of parsley, finely chopped
  • 25g of tarragon, finely chopped
  • 25g of chervil, finely chopped
  • salt, to taste
  • ground white pepper, to taste
2
Ensure the squid is cleaned properly and score the skin in a criss-cross shape. Cut into bite-size triangular pieces (3cm width) and discard the tentacles – they can get a bit tough when frying but you can reserve them for another dish
  • 1000g of squid, fresh and cleaned
3
For the devilled dusting mixture, mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Once well mixed, coat the squid and whole whitebait in the devilled mixture, dusting off any excess to create a thin and even coating
  • 250g of plain flour
  • 20g of hot smoked paprika
  • 7.5g of cayenne pepper
  • 7.5g of mustard powder
  • 2l rapeseed oil, or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
  • 5g of salt
  • 500g of whitebait, fresh
4
In a deep fat-fryer, heat the rapeseed or vegetable oil until it reaches 180°C. Gently add the coated fish to the oil (do not overcrowd) and cook until golden brown for 1-2 minutes. Make sure you don't overcook the squid or it wll become tough and chewy
5
Once golden, remove the fish from the pan and drain on some kitchen roll. Squeeze over some lemon juice and sprinkle salt over the fish to taste. Serve warm and crispy in a basket with a side of tartare sauce and some fresh lemon
  • lemon
  • salt