Whitebait (Frozen)

Tiny, soft, silver-translucent fish, eaten whole — head, bones and all. There is nothing to clean, nothing to fillet and nothing to pick out, which makes whitebait one of the most immediately useful things in the freezer.

The flavour is mild and clean rather than fishy, and the texture is the appeal: crisp on the outside and soft in the middle when fried, almost custardy when folded through egg. Locally caught and snap frozen straight away to hold that delicacy.

Why Choose Our Whitebait?

• Locally caught: from local waters, snap frozen immediately after landing.
• Eaten whole: no cleaning, no gutting, no bones to deal with.
• Mild and delicate: soft, fine flesh with a clean, light flavour — good for people who find fish too strong.
• Perfect for frying: the classic salt and pepper whitebait, and hard to get wrong.
• Nutritious: high in protein, with vitamins and minerals from eating the whole fish.
• Buy in quantity: a generous amount for the price of one restaurant entrée.

Cooking Methods:

• Salt and pepper whitebait: toss in seasoned cornflour, deep fry 60-90 seconds until crisp, then wok-toss with garlic, chilli and spring onion. The dish this fish exists for.
• Whitebait fritters: mixed through a light egg batter and pan fried into flat cakes — the New Zealand classic, served with lemon and buttered bread.
• Scrambled with egg: a Chinese home-cooking staple — soft, savoury and on the table in three minutes.
• In soup: with tofu and greens for a light, clean broth.
• Steamed with egg custard: stirred through savoury steamed egg.
• Tempura: light batter, quick fry, lemon and salt.

Cooking Note:
Pat as dry as you can before frying — whitebait holds a lot of water and wet fish will not crisp. Fry in small batches so the oil stays hot.

Thawing:
Thaw in the refrigerator (0-4°C), drain well and pat dry. Never use hot water or a microwave.

Storage:
Keep frozen at -18°C. Use within 1 day of thawing and do not refreeze.

A kilo of the best drinking snack there is. Order now.