Thread: Quick lesson in eating smelt please

Michael Horowitz wrote:
>
> Eat it like an ear of corn, avoiding the backbone?
> Very fishy taste? - Mike

I always debone it. If you separate the spine
from the flesh near the tail, the whole spine
and ribcage can be pulled out like undoing
a zipper. This trick won't work if you start
at the head end.

I also remove the pectoral fins and dorsal fin
before cooking.

On 2009-09-22, Janet Bostwick <[email protected]> wrote:

> Depends. . .if you are eating the smaller smelt from the Great Lakes,

????

Are the GL saltwater!?

nb

"Mark Thorson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> Michael Horowitz wrote:
>>
>> Eat it like an ear of corn, avoiding the backbone?
>> Very fishy taste? - Mike
>
> I always debone it. If you separate the spine
> from the flesh near the tail, the whole spine
> and ribcage can be pulled out like undoing
> a zipper. This trick won't work if you start
> at the head end.
>
> I also remove the pectoral fins and dorsal fin
> before cooking.

Depends. . .if you are eating the smaller smelt from the Great Lakes,
everything gets crispy on the outside. You can crunch it all or if you are
fussy, you can de-bone as suggested above. If you are eating the larger
ocean smelt, the fins can be pulled off before eating. No fishy taste, very
mild.
Janet

In article <[email protected]>,
Michael Horowitz <[email protected]> wrote:

> Eat it like an ear of corn, avoiding the backbone?
> Very fishy taste? - Mike

You can learn the proper technique by watching old Warner Bros. cartoons
showing cats eating whole fish.

D.

"notbob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On 2009-09-22, Janet Bostwick <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Depends. . .if you are eating the smaller smelt from the Great Lakes,
>
> ????
>
> Are the GL saltwater!?
>
> nb
No
Janet

Michael Horowitz wrote:
> Eat it like an ear of corn, avoiding the backbone?
> Very fishy taste? - Mike
>

The small fresh water smelt can be eaten whole.

On 2009-09-23, Janet Bostwick <[email protected]> wrote:

> No

I was not aware there were freshwater smelt. I used to by fresh smelt
(Pacific Ocean) and pan fry them. I don't see them much, anymore.

nb

notbob wrote:
> On 2009-09-23, Janet Bostwick <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> No
>
> I was not aware there were freshwater smelt. I used to by fresh smelt
> (Pacific Ocean) and pan fry them. I don't see them much, anymore.

There sure are fresh water smelt. Every spring they migrate up rivers
and streams. Smelt fishermen will be hanging out with their nets and
bringing them in by the bushel. They usually just slit the bellies open
and scoop out the innards, dredge them in flour and deep fry them.

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:24:13 -0400, Michael Horowitz wrote:

> Eat it like an ear of corn, avoiding the backbone?
> Very fishy taste? - Mike

Depends on how big thy are 3.5 inches, you can eat everything
including the head. Over 4 inches is a matter of preference.

Always buy dressed smelts, and I prefer the little ones (3.5 and
under).

-sw

On 2009-09-23, Dave Smith <[email protected]> wrote:

> There sure are fresh water smelt. Every spring they migrate up rivers
> and streams. Smelt fishermen will be hanging out with their nets and
> bringing them in by the bushel. They usually just slit the bellies open
> and scoop out the innards, dredge them in flour and deep fry them.

hmmm.... must be bigger than Pacific smelt. We jes cooked em whole.

nb

In article <[email protected]>,
notbob <[email protected]> wrote:

> On 2009-09-23, Janet Bostwick <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > No
>
> I was not aware there were freshwater smelt. I used to by fresh smelt
> (Pacific Ocean) and pan fry them. I don't see them much, anymore.

Wiki says they are mostly in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, but are
commonly found in certain fresh water places also. The Great Lakes were
specifically mentioned, but other places also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smelts

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA
[email protected]

Dan Abel wrote:
>
> In article <[email protected]>,
> notbob <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > On 2009-09-23, Janet Bostwick <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > > No
> >
> > I was not aware there were freshwater smelt. I used to by fresh smelt
> > (Pacific Ocean) and pan fry them. I don't see them much, anymore.
>
> Wiki says they are mostly in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, but are
> commonly found in certain fresh water places also. The Great Lakes were
> specifically mentioned, but other places also:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smelts

I thought the plural for "smelt" was "smelt".

On 2009-09-23, Mark Thorson <[email protected]> wrote:

> I thought the plural for "smelt" was "smelt".

Hah! Good catch. I agree.

nb

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:31:33 -0700, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Dan Abel wrote:
>>
>> In article <[email protected]>,
>> notbob <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> > On 2009-09-23, Janet Bostwick <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >
>> > > No
>> >
>> > I was not aware there were freshwater smelt. I used to by fresh smelt
>> > (Pacific Ocean) and pan fry them. I don't see them much, anymore.
>>
>> Wiki says they are mostly in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, but are
>> commonly found in certain fresh water places also. The Great Lakes were
>> specifically mentioned, but other places also:
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smelts
>
>I thought the plural for "smelt" was "smelt".

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smelts
<quote>
* Main Entry: 1smelt
* Pronunciation: \?smelt\
* Function: noun
* Inflected Form(s): plural smelts or smelt
* Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Norwegian
smelte whiting
* Date: before 12th century

any of a family (Osmeridae) of small bony fishes that closely resemble
the trouts in general structure, live along coasts and ascend rivers
to spawn or are landlocked, and have delicate oily flesh with a
distinctive odor and taste
<end quote>

The little ones from Lake Erie we simply flour, deep fry and eat
whole, head, insides and all.

Ross.

On Tue 22 Sep 2009 09:28:56p, told us...

> On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:31:33 -0700, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>>Dan Abel wrote:
>>>
>>> In article <[email protected]>, notbob
>>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>> > On 2009-09-23, Janet Bostwick <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > > No
>>> >
>>> > I was not aware there were freshwater smelt. I used to by fresh
smelt
>>> > (Pacific Ocean) and pan fry them. I don't see them much, anymore.
>>>
>>> Wiki says they are mostly in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, but are
>>> commonly found in certain fresh water places also. The Great Lakes
were
>>> specifically mentioned, but other places also:
>>>
>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smelts
>>
>>I thought the plural for "smelt" was "smelt".
>
> http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smelts
> <quote>
> * Main Entry: 1smelt
> * Pronunciation: \?smelt\
> * Function: noun
> * Inflected Form(s): plural smelts or smelt
> * Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Norwegian
> smelte whiting
> * Date: before 12th century
>
> any of a family (Osmeridae) of small bony fishes that closely resemble
> the trouts in general structure, live along coasts and ascend rivers
> to spawn or are landlocked, and have delicate oily flesh with a
> distinctive odor and taste
> <end quote>
>
> The little ones from Lake Erie we simply flour, deep fry and eat
> whole, head, insides and all.
>
> Ross.
>

I remember those. There used to be an Italian restaurant in downtown
Cleveland that served up a platter of those deep fried smelts as an
appetizer. It was near the Chesterfield Apartment Bldg.

--

~~ If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it. ~~

~~ A mind is a terrible thing to lose. ~~

************************************************** ********

Wayne Boatwright

On Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:28:56 -0400, [email protected] wrote:

> The little ones from Lake Erie we simply flour, deep fry and eat
> whole, head, insides and all.

I remember my first batch of smelts. It was at a Bob's Big Boy or a
Howard Johnson just south of the Canadian Border somewhere (so it
was probably bordering on of the The Lakes. I remember it odd they
were on the on the menu as this was a place we always ate at around
home and they never had "smelts" on the menu. I think I ordered
them because of their name. But I was in love from then on (I was
probably about 10).

Fortunately, I found I could get them prepared back home at Wholey's
Fish Market's lunch counter.

-sw

"notbob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On 2009-09-23, Dave Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> There sure are fresh water smelt. Every spring they migrate up rivers
>> and streams. Smelt fishermen will be hanging out with their nets and
>> bringing them in by the bushel. They usually just slit the bellies open
>> and scoop out the innards, dredge them in flour and deep fry them.
>
> hmmm.... must be bigger than Pacific smelt. We jes cooked em whole.
>
> nb

No, they are smaller. You cooked them whole with the guts inside?
Janet

In article <[email protected]> ,
"Janet Bostwick" <[email protected]> wrote:

> "notbob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]..
> > On 2009-09-23, Dave Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> There sure are fresh water smelt. Every spring they migrate up rivers
> >> and streams. Smelt fishermen will be hanging out with their nets and
> >> bringing them in by the bushel. They usually just slit the bellies open
> >> and scoop out the innards, dredge them in flour and deep fry them.
> >
> > hmmm.... must be bigger than Pacific smelt. We jes cooked em whole.
> >
> > nb
>
> No, they are smaller. You cooked them whole with the guts inside?

My cousin lived in Spain for a few years. She graduated from high
school there, as did her younger sister. They went to an "American"
high school on a US military base. My cousin developed a taste for
whole cooked fish. I think they were one bite, and were free at the
bar. I don't know if she was old enough to drink, but they didn't seem
to have a problem with kids coming in and eating a few appetizers.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA
[email protected]

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:28:56 -0400, [email protected] wrote:
>
>> The little ones from Lake Erie we simply flour, deep fry and eat
>> whole, head, insides and all.
>
> I remember my first batch of smelts. It was at a Bob's Big Boy or a
> Howard Johnson just south of the Canadian Border somewhere (so it
> was probably bordering on of the The Lakes. I remember it odd they
> were on the on the menu as this was a place we always ate at around
> home and they never had "smelts" on the menu. I think I ordered
> them because of their name. But I was in love from then on (I was
> probably about 10).
>
> Fortunately, I found I could get them prepared back home at Wholey's
> Fish Market's lunch counter.
>
> -sw

I mail order my Langostinos from Wholey's. The owner sends an email
after every purchase. Nice touch! Their lobster bisque is also VERY good!

D