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Let's talk "white bait"

 
Judson Carroll
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Who eats it, and how do you cook it?

"White bait" was once a common dish in America and Europe... still seems to be in various regions of Asia... not sure beyond. It goes by various names, but whit bait was most common say pre-1960 in America. It is, essentially, bait fish... minnows or small fish. Traditionally, they were not even gutted, but the one modern cookbook that had a recipe (by Jacques Pepin) stated that un-gutted, they could be bitter. These were usually simply breaded and fried, but sometimes made into soups or stews. Apparently, white bait was considered a true delicacy at the rare restaurant that served them and kind of a staple around lakes and rivers. I wonder if our modern obsession of sport fishing for big, trophy fish caused them to fall out of favor?

"Them that don't know him don't like him and them that do sometimes don't know how to take him, he ain't wrong he's just different and his pride won't let him do the things to make you think he's right" - Ed Bruce (via Waylon and WIllie)

 
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love wait bait, and just bread them and lightly fry.
The Greek community have a lot of it.

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Judson Carroll
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John C Daley wrote: love wait bait, and just bread them and lightly fry.
The Greek community have a lot of it.



I have never eaten Greek white bait.  But, I know one thing for sure:  Greeks can freakin' COOK!   I have never had a bad meal in a Greek owned restaurant or home.

"Them that don't know him don't like him and them that do sometimes don't know how to take him, he ain't wrong he's just different and his pride won't let him do the things to make you think he's right" - Ed Bruce (via Waylon and WIllie)

 
Olga Booker
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Love them!  I just toss them in seasoned flour and shallow fry them.  Delicious!  Just talking about it makes my mouth water.  You can still find it served  sometimes in some UK restaurants, also in France but it is becoming quite rare.

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Judson Carroll
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Olga Booker wrote:Love them!  I just toss them in seasoned flour and shallow fry them.  Delicious!  Just talking about it makes my mouth water.  You can still find it served  sometimes in some UK restaurants, also in France but it is becoming quite rare.



Very cool!  Any idea what species the fish are, or is it just sort of the catch of the day?

"Them that don't know him don't like him and them that do sometimes don't know how to take him, he ain't wrong he's just different and his pride won't let him do the things to make you think he's right" - Ed Bruce (via Waylon and WIllie)

 
Olga Booker
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Usually it is the catch of the day.

When I was 10 or 12 I used to go fishing in this little stream in the South of France and the water was teeming with life.  Every 5/10 minutes, we'd catch a small gudgeon, occasionally a young roach.  By the end of the afternoon, we had a bucketful.  Sadly, this was about 60 years ago, the streams nowadays are polluted and lifeless.
.

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Judson Carroll
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Olga Booker wrote:Usually it is the catch of the day.

When I was 10 or 12 I used to go fishing in this little stream in the South of France and the water was teeming with life.  Every 5/10 minutes, we'd catch a small gudgeon, occasionally a young roach.  By the end of the afternoon, we had a bucketful.  Sadly, this was about 60 years ago, the streams nowadays are polluted and lifeless.
.



Very cool!  My family tradition is to use them for a bouillabaisse type of soup, only a bit more rustic.  Country folks int he American south didn't have saffron or fennel... even garlic (other than wild) until the 70s or 80s.  But, we used onions and celery, tomatoes, any herbs on hand... sometimes corn or okra and peppers, shrimp or crawfish with the shells, butter or pork fat.  It depends on what is in season.  I like the idea of frying them with some fries/frites and a mayo-based sauce  

"Them that don't know him don't like him and them that do sometimes don't know how to take him, he ain't wrong he's just different and his pride won't let him do the things to make you think he's right" - Ed Bruce (via Waylon and WIllie)

 
Olga Booker
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Sounds delicious!  I suppose what you call crawfish is what we called crayfish.  That very same stream was also alive with them and we loved catching them - and eating them!

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Douglas Alpenstock
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How would you process minnows? Gut, head, and major fins? Or would you fry them "as found" and gnaw on them like a chicken wing?
 
Judson Carroll
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Douglas Alpenstock wrote:How would you process minnows? Gut, head, and major fins? Or would you fry them "as found" and gnaw on them like a chicken wing?



There is some divided opinion.  Some jsut fry them whole, others gut them with a small knife.  THe head is left  on

"Them that don't know him don't like him and them that do sometimes don't know how to take him, he ain't wrong he's just different and his pride won't let him do the things to make you think he's right" - Ed Bruce (via Waylon and WIllie)

 
Michael Cox
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Douglas Alpenstock wrote:How would you process minnows? Gut, head, and major fins? Or would you fry them "as found" and gnaw on them like a chicken wing?



My experience of eating whitebait is that they are small. As in, pop a whole fish in your mouth in one go. A portion is 20 to 30 fish. There isn't really any gnawing to be done.

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