Breaded deep-fried English whitebait

In the olden days, members of the British Parliament would travel by water to Greenwich to mark the start of the autumn season with "whitebait feasts". Charles Dickens was known to be a fan of this traditional Thames treat too as well as his famous illustrator George Cruickshank.

These days whitebait is caught elsewhere and thanks to the miracle of refrigeration is available throughout the year, not just in season.

The cooking is quick and simple and involves breading and deep-frying. Make sure the oil is very hot so that the breading does not absorb too much oil.

Although it seems the custom to poke the fish in mayonnaise before eating to wash it down with beer, I serve it sprinkled with lemon juice with steamed young potatoes topped with chopped red onions and coriander. Not 100% English but much healthier.

For the recipe just post a request in the comments.