Whitebait Fritters

Method

1. Drain the whitebait in a sieve, spread it on paper towel and press gently to dry it. Pick out any debris or weed. Wet whitebait makes a runny mix that spits in the pan; don't wash it much, so the delicate flavour stays.

2. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the salt, white pepper and flour with a fork until smooth. Purists use egg alone with no flour, but a little flour helps the fritters hold together the first time you make them.

   Add in this stepEggs 2Salt 1 pinchWhite pepper 1 pinchPlain flour (optional) 1 tbsp

3. Add the whitebait and fold it in gently. The egg should only just coat the fish: the whitebait is the star.

   Add in this stepWhitebait (thawed if frozen) 200 g

4. Put a 24 cm frying pan over medium heat and melt half the butter with half the oil; the oil stops the butter burning so fast. It's ready when the butter foam subsides and it sizzles. Keep the rest of the butter and oil for later batches.

   Add in this stepButter (for frying) 20 gVegetable oil 1 tsp

   medium heat

5. Drop in about 2 heaped tablespoons of mixture per fritter and spread it to about 8 cm across, leaving space between them. Cook the first side for 1 min 30 sec, until set at the edges and golden underneath, then flip and cook 1 min more. They are done when all the fish has turned white and opaque and the centre feels springy. Cook the rest the same way, adding the remaining butter and oil.

6. Butter the bread, lay a fritter on each slice, squeeze over lemon and eat straight away. Folding it in half like a sandwich is the West Coast way.

   Add in this stepSlices of white bread 4Butter (for the bread) 20 gLemon ½