Capelin is a very small, nondescript-looking fish. Therefore, inexperienced chefs treat it with prejudice, they do not buy or cook: they say, what's the point in such a trifle! And in vain, because cooking this fish is very simple, and besides, it has good taste. It is delicious fried and stewed.
Roasted capelin recipe
To fry capelin, you will need about 0.5 kilograms of capelin, 1 onion, cooking oil, some wheat flour for breading, ½ lemon or lime juice, salt and a pinch of fish spices to your liking.
Rinse the fish thoroughly in cold running water and pat dry with a paper towel or tissue. Place the capelin in a deep bowl, salt, drizzle with lemon or lime juice, add fish spices (you can also add a little sugar for flavor). Stir gently and leave to marinate for 20-30 minutes. The good thing about capelin is that you don't need to peel it before cooking. Some cooks cut off her heads and tails, and some gut her, but this is not at all necessary.
If you have frozen capelin, defrost it at room temperature first, then proceed as described above.
Take a deep frying pan (you can use a wok) or cauldron, heat the vegetable oil well in it. Then place the onion, cut into thick rings or large cubes, in the butter. While the onions are fried, season the marinated capelin in flour. Fry fish in portions, on both sides, until golden brown. You can stack the fish close to each other, it will not stick together. Remove the finished portion with a dry slotted spoon, laying on a paper towel to absorb excess fat, and immediately place a new portion of capelin in the pan (cauldron). And so on until all the fish is ready.
You can also use a chicken egg for breading without making a marinade. To do this, break it up, add ground pepper and salt to taste. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl where the capelin is. Stir. Dip the fish in flour and fry on both sides.
How to quickly prepare a delicious side dish for fried capelin
If you want your fish to have a tasty and well-suited side dish, peel and cut 2-3 medium-sized potatoes into thin strips before frying the capelin. Immediately after all the last serving of capelin has been removed from the oil container, add the potatoes and fry until golden brown. Soaked in the aroma of fish and onions, it will be especially tasty. As soon as the potatoes are ready, serve the main course and side dish immediately.
Spicy sour cream sauce with mustard and horseradish additions is also very well suited to such food.
The taste of properly roasted capelin will pleasantly surprise even the discerning and demanding eater. Therefore, you should not neglect this modest-looking fish.
