Whitebait with mayonnaise

Overview

Prep time

12 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Serves

4

Ingredients

For the mayonnaise

• 2 egg yolks

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp wine vinegar

• 250ml oil - I use grapeseed oil as I think it gives the best results

• Lemon juice, to taste

For the fish

• 400g whitebait, washed in ice-cold, salty water, then dried

• Groundnut oil, for deep-frying

• 40g plain flour

• 1 tsp English mustard powder

• Crusty bread, to serve

Method

Step 1

To make the mayonnaise, place 2 egg yolks in a blender with 1 tbsp Dijon mustard and 1 tbsp wine vinegar, and blitz. With the motor running, slowly and gradually pour 250ml oil through the hole in the lid, drip by drip at first. The mayonnaise will thicken as you add more.

Step 2

When you have a thick mayonnaise, check the seasoning, adding salt and lemon juice to taste. Set aside.

Step 3

To cook the whitebait, preheat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 200C. Have ready a wire rack set over a tray, to rest the fish on and allow them to dry after frying.

Step 4

Mix together 40g plain flour, 1 tsp English mustard powder and a couple of pinches of salt in a large bowl. Add 400g whitebait to the bowl and toss it into the flour until each fish is evenly coated.

Step 5

Shake each one gently to remove excess flour then fry the whitebait in small batches, to stop the oil dropping in temperature too much when you add the fish. The fish will take about 3 minutes to cook, until golden brown.

Step 6

Lift out the frying basket and shake the fish a little to remove the oil, and transfer them to the wire rack to dry while you cook the next batch. Bring the temperature of the oil back up to 200C each time you do so.

Step 7

Transfer the previous batch to some kitchen paper to soak up any remaining oil.

Step 8

When all the whitebait have been fried, serve with the mayonnaise and some crusty bread.