Gordon Ramsay\'s Great British Pub Food

SERVES 4-

450g whitebait, thawed

if frozen

170g plain flour

1 tsp cayenne pepper

sea salt and black pepper

150mlmilk

groundnut or vegetable

oil, for deep-frying

TO SERVE

extra cayenne pepper,

to sprinkle (optional)

mayonnaise (see page

246), for dipping

lemon wedges

18 BAR FOOD

Devilled whitebait

These are a far cry f rom the soggy, overcooked whitebait

we used to eat as kids whenever we w ere t reated to a

meal in a steakhouse. Freshly fried, these crisp, salty bites

are lovely with a pint of ale. If using frozen whitebait,you

may want to go easy on the extra salt as t he t iny fish are

usually soaked in brine before freezing.

Wash the whitebait, drain well and pat dry with kitchen paper. For the

batter, in a bowl, mix lOOg of the flou r with the cayen ne pepper and

a pinch each of salt and pepper. Make a well in the middle and

gradually whisk in the milk to make a smooth batte r.

Heat an 8-lOcm depth of oil in a deep-fryer o r a heavy-based pan; the

pan should be no more than half-full. The oil is relcy when it reaches

190°(, or when a cube of bread dropped in turns go n brown in less

than 40 seconds.

Deep-fry the whitebait in batches. Dip a handful into the remaining

flour to coat, shaking off excess. Now dip the floured whitebait into

the batter, then gently drop into the hot oil. Deep-fry for 1-2 minutes

until golden and crisp. When you take them out of the oil, the

whitebait should rustle as you shake them together. Try not to

overcrowd the pan, as this will cause the temperature of the oil to

drop too much.

Drain the whitebait on a tray lined with kitchen paper and keep warm

in a low oven while you deep-fry the rest. If you wish, sprinkle on a

little extra cayenne pepper. Serve while still crisp, with a bowl of

mayonnaise and lemon wedges on the side.