FRIED SMELTS RECIPE ITALIAN WAY: Traditional Pesciolini Fritti alla Ligure

Fried Smelts is a simple and traditional recipe in several countries. In origin, this has been a tasty way to utilize the fish too small for the market. Here I wrote for you an Italian recipe traditional in Genoa: easy and delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Lb ( 450 g) Smelts
• 1 cup (120 g) All-purpose flour
• 1 cup (230 ml) Whole milk
• ½ QT (500 ml) Peanut oil
• 2 Lemons
• to taste table salt

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STREET FOOD GENOVESE

Genoa has a great tradition of street food, and several traditional recipes created in this city are made to be eaten walking on its streets.

The Port of Genoa is one of the biggest and most important in Europe. Thousands of workers usually spent their lunch break outside eating street food since the medieval Republic of Genoa was founded in the 11th Century.

A Harbor so big took to visit the city thousands and thousands of visitors: merchants, soldiers, pilgrims, criminals... a variety of people that subsidized the economy of Genoa, including the food vendors.

For centuries, the vendors of Sbira, an ancient soup of tripes and bread, pushed their carts along the narrow streets of the old city. 

Little holes in the walls host the ancient friggitorie (shops specializing in fried food) offering Frisceu and Cuculli, fried dough stuffed with herbs and cheese; Panisette, fried chickpeas flour polenta: fried salted cod, smelts, shrimps, and other fish wrapped into butcher paper.

The bakeries take out flatbread Genovese: the Fugassa, a symbol of the Ligurian culinary tradition, and the Focaccia di Recco, a flatbread stuffed with soft cheese, and the Farinata, another typical flatbread made with chickpeas flour.

FRIED FISH IN THE ITALIAN CUISINE

The tradition of fried fish is present in every region of Itlay, from the north to the south.

Besides the Ligurian fried smelts, called in dialect Pignolini Fritti, we have several regional recipes; most of them have been created to reuse the fish impossible to sell because of its size.

The mother of the regional recipes is the Frittura di Paranza, called this way in many regions, like Romagna and Marche. This fried fish recipe is made with little fish like anchovies, mullets, baby soles, and octopuses.

In Venice, the local version of Frittura di Paranza is called Scartosso de Pesse Ftito. This recipe is made with Moeche (local soft shell crabs), Schie (tiny river shrimp), baby octopus, cuttlefish, and calamari. It is often served with little fish, fried polenta, and fried asparagus.

In Rome, the most important recipe for fried fish comes from the Jewish Community of Rome: the Filetti di Baccalà (fried salted cod fillets). The salted cod is soaked in water for several hours (click here to read the entire process), then immersed in a batter made with flour, water, lemon juice, parsley, and heat, and eventually deep-fried.

In Naples, the tradition of fried street food it's symbolized by the Cuoppo Napoletano. The Cuoppo can be made with or without fish, and the street vendors have sold it since ancient times. The name comes from the paper cone used to serve the Cuoppo. The fish version is made with small fish, fried dough, fried artichokes, and zucchini flowers.

FRIED SMELTS LEFTOVERS: PESCE IN SCABECCIO

The Pesce in Scabeccio is a traditional tasty recipe to reuse the fried fish leftovers. Scabeggio is typical of Liguria and very similar to Carpione, the fried fish marinade originating from Northern Italy.

In Liguria, this recipe is often prepared with the fish most commonly fried, like Smelts, Sardines, Anchovies, Bogues, or Mullets. 

To prepare the Scabeccio, first, reduce a yellow or white onion into rings, then sauté along with a splash of olive oil and 1 clove of garlic.

Once the onion is softened and translucent, add a sprig of rosemary and a few sage leaves.

At this point, add 1 cup of white wine vinegar and 1 cup of white wire.

Bring the Scabeccio marinade to boil, then salt to taste, move the pot far from the heat, and let the liquid reach room temperature.

Finally, place the fried fish leftovers in a bowl along with the Scabeccio marinade. 

Cover the bowl and place something heavy over to press the fish and help to absorb the marinade.

Let Pesce in Scabeccio rest at least 24 hours (better 48 hours) before serving as an appetizer. 

If properly stored, Scabeccio will last 5 days after its preparation.

TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS

CHOOSING THE OIL - Traditionally, in Liguria, the oil used to prepare this recipe is Extra-Virgin Olive oil, and this is because locally, olive oil is abundant and convenient.

Personally, I prefer to use Peanut Oil because the flavor is less intense and permits to taste of the original flavor of fish.

SMELTS AND OTHER FISH - In Italy, the fish used to prepare this recipe is Latterini or Acquadelle. These fishes are pretty tiny and commonly fried whole, head included!

Out of Italy, the Smelts is the fish that better recalls the taste of Latterini or Acquadelle.

Fresh sardines or anchovies pair perfectly with this recipe's other ingredients and represent a tasty variation.

In Genoa, fried Pignolini (as they called the smelts in the local dialect) is often served along with fried Calamari and Shrimps.

FLOURING THE SMELTS - The most common way to prepare the Ligurian Fried Smelts is flouring them with 00 Flour (All Purpose flour). 

Some chefs prefer to use a different mixture: for instance, half 00 Flour and half rice flour, or half 00 Flour and half Semolina flour.

Another variation is poaching the fish into egg whites lightly beaten before flouring them; in this case, it's critical to fry the Smelts immediately.

HOW TO CHECK THE OIL TEMPERATURE - A cooking thermometer is the easiest way to check the oil temperature! That's pretty convenient and easy to use, so I consider that a critical tool to have in my kitchen.

If you don't have a thermometer, the best way to understand if the oil is ready for frying is to sacrifice a little piece of floured fish: put it into the oil; once it's starting to fry vigorously, the oil is ready!

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS!

PAN-SEARED SWORDFISH with Italian Salmoriglio marinate