Crispy Whitebait And Sweet Onions Disk

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Crispy Whitebait And Sweet Onions Disk

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

These whitebait are extra crispy as they have been toss in my own flour mix and then fried in a single layer so that every whitebait gets a chance to crisp up. Only other thing required? A squeeze of lemon and a fork.

This recipe is adapted from Vefa's Kitchen by "Greece best-selling writer", Vefa Alexiadou. She has a recipe, 'Fried whitebait pie from Chois'. 

It was the picture of the dish that captivated me. Crispy whitebait that had obviously been pan fried in a round skillet. Visually, Vefa's 'pie' was more like a large, crispy disk. It looked delicious nonetheless -almost as good as mine! 

Vefa uses all-purpose/plain flour to coat the whitebait/onions. I added a touch of cornflour, rice flour and baking powder to my flour mix as I know that combination will make those whitebait and onions extra crispy. I also add a pinch of oregano, the key Greek herb, as it pairs well with fried fish.

Vefa asks that I salt the onions for 30 minutes, then rinse and pat dry. I sigh on reading that. Why? Firstly, it means an extra step of work. Secondly, it means an extra 30 minutes to wait before I can eat. 

Fine, I told myself. I will try her way the first time round. I did purchase her cookbook after all to get some expert insights into Greek cooking.

My conclusion? Skip the salting, rinsing and drying. In fact, it is better not to. It doesn't add to the taste and more significantly, because the onions had been salted, it makes it difficult to gauge the amount of salt to add to season the entire dish. 

I find that it is also best to lay out the whitebait/onions in one single layer. The whitebait will crisp up. If you had instead piled up the whitebait as if it was a fruit pie you were making, then you would more likely end up 'steaming' the whitebait. It will most certainly not fry up as crispy. 

Finally, always serve this with a squeeze of lemon. It cuts the grease (we did fry them in oil after all) and gives a nice perkiness to all that briny flavour.

This is the sixth recipe for the spread of meze I served at a recent party. I prepared 10 meze that were inspired by my holiday in Greece. Click here, Greek Meze, Another Selection Of Wonderful Little Bites. Scroll down to the end of the post and you will find a table spread of all the 10 meze, the names of the meze and links to recipes that I have already posted.

CRISPY WHITEBAIT AND SWEET ONIONS DISK                

Prep:	15 minutes
Cook:	13 - 16 minutes
Inactive:	-
Level:	Moderately easy
Serves:	2 as a meal or 4 as part of a meze
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	No

Just the ingredients 200g whitebait 40g sliced onions 3 + 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose/plain flour 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons cornflour 1/2 Tablespoon rice flour A pinch of baking powder 1/2 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper  Wedge of lemon

These are a variety of very fresh whitebait which was served to me at a Tokyo sushi bar. When fresh, whitebait are almost transparent.

Ingredients

7.05oz (200g) whitebait
I can only get frozen whitebait. If the ones I had were fresh, they would look transparent.

1.41oz (40g) sliced onions

3 + 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 and 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose/plain flour

1 and 1/2 Tablespoons cornflour

1/2 Tablespoon rice flour

A pinch of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper 
Wedge of lemon

Method

You need a 9.5" (24cm) skillet. The size of the skillet is important as you want to be able to lay out the whitebait in one single layer. 

You would also need a plate with a slightly larger circumference as the flat base of that skillet. You will use this plate to invert the whitebait over (when one side is nicely browned) and to then slide the uncooked side back onto the skillet to finish cooking.

Rinse the whitebait, drain excess water and pat them dry. 

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Set aside 1 Tablespoon to use later.

When you are ready to cook, separate the sliced onions and mix it into the whitebait together. Toss in the flour mix (remember to keep aside 1 Tablespoon) and mix well to coat.

Heat up the skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and only when the oil is hot (pinch a little flour off the whitebait/onions, if it sizzles, it is hot), add the whitebait/onion mix. 

With the help of a frying slice, layer the whitebait/onions into one even layer. Try not to have the whitebait stacked up onto of one another. Press it down gently to help them to adhere together. If it looks a bit dry, add a little more oil around the circumference to help it crisp up. 

Midway through cooking, sprinkle the remaining 1 Tablespoon of flour mix. After ~8 minutes of total cooking time, check to see if the bottom has browned. 

How do you know when it is ready to be flipped? 

The edges would have obviously browned. 

Next, you need to peak underneath. Use a wide-face frying slice to peak under the whitebait/onions. Is it nicely browned? Does it feel firm enough to flip it over? 

If it is yes to all, place the plate over the whitebait/onions. Take the frying pan to the sink.

If there is a lot of oil in the skillet, hold the plate steady and invert the skillet at a 45 degree angle to allow excess oil to drain. Then, flip the skillet completely upside down and the whitebait/mix would now be on your plate. 

Set the plate down and your skillet back on the burner. 

I like to wipe clean my skillet with a kitchen paper towel at this time.

Add the remaining 3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and let it heat up.

Slide the whitebait/onions back into the hot skillet and finish cooking. Once it has browned and looks crispy on this side as well, ~5 minutes, remove and serve immediately with a wedge of lemon.

Tips

• Any small sized fish will work. For instance, anchovies and other varieties of whitebait.
• If you intend to double the recipe, fry them in two batches as you need to lay them out in one single layer.

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                                 

Marinated Grilled Peppers With Fig Balsamic Cream. It's a mouthful of sweet, savoury, salty goodness.

My Greek inspired meze! 

First row. Left to right: Slow Cooked Octopus In A Sherry Vinegar Garlic Marinade, Moussaka - Baked Casserole Of Eggplants, Tomatoey Meat Topped With A Creamy White Sauce, Santorini Fava A Delicious Yellow Split Peas Dip, Marinated Grilled Peppers With Fig Balsamic Cream

Second row. Left to right: Greek Inspired Harissa-Style Hot Chilli Sauce To Go With Olives, 5 Minutes Grilled Cheese Meze, Santorini Tomatoey Tomato Balls/Fritters

Third row. Left to right: Crispy Whitebait And Sweet Onions Disk, Pork Souvlaki Kebabs Skewers, Tzatziki A Cucumber Yogurt Dip,  Oh So Soft Pita Bread

Greek Inspired, Shrimp With Tomatoes And Feta

Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've spent a great deal of time editing and reorganising this post on Wordpress and it is so much friendlier to read & follow my recipe from there. Click on this link to take you directly to the recipe:

Greek Inspired Shrimp With Tomatoes And Feta

Link to my newest and old recipes, click:

https://kitchenbaroness.wordpress.com/

Shrimp coated in a savoury tomato sauce that is not too heavily seasoned and then rounded off with cubes of feta. 

This dish not only goes well served as part of a meze, it is good on pasta, with lightly buttered rice or in a sandwich. I do like this recipe. I like it even better because it is an easy recipe.

This recipe is the 4th recipe I am posting from a list of 10 meze (hors' d'oeuvres) that I had mentioned in my recent post, Meze, A Selection of Wonderful Little Bites. I thought the recipes would come in useful as we approach the festive season. 

Serving some pre-prepared starters is always a good start to any party and it works even better at year-end parties when guests lists typically get longer and menus more fancy. 

Prepared in advance, laying out appetisers will free you somewhat from having to slog too long in the kitchen whilst everyone else is having a good time at your party. It will also ease your mind knowing you won't have guests following you with hungry eyes and you won't be in a state of frenzy while trying to get food out on the table. 

You will be cool, calm and collected and have time to glide around your guests. So much better than to be scampering around in the kitchen!

Here are all the 10 meze that I served at a recent meze party, Meze, A Selection of Wonderful Little Bites. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find out the names of the meze.

GREEK INSPIRED, SHRIMP WITH TOMATOES AND FETA 

Prep:	10 minutes
Cook:	30 minutes
Inactive:	-
Level:	Easy
Serves:	6 as part of a meze or 2 as a main course with pasta, rice or in a sandwich.
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	Up to 3 days. Keep covered and refrigerated. It can also be frozen up to 5 days. Hold off adding the feta though. Defrost in the chiller overnight, reheat and then add feta.

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup onions very finely diced 

1 can (14 oz) (400g) diced tomatoes

1/4 cup parsley finely cut, reserve 1 Tablespoon for sprinkling over cooked dish

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic

14 oz (400 g) medium size shrimp that have been shelled

3 oz (85 g) feta cubed

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to drizzle over cooked dish

Method

Pour 4 Tablespoons of olive oil into a saucepan or pot and heat up on medium high. Add the diced onions and saute until softened, translucent and slightly brown at the edges. About 10 minutes.

Add the canned tomatoes, parsley, oregano, cinnamon, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, slightly covered for 10 minutes. 

Add garlic, cover slightly and simmer for another 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Taste it. You should have a sauce that looks similar to the one below. 

Add the shrimp and simmer for 5 minutes covered or until shrimp turn pink and are cooked. 

Gently stir in feta. Cover, turn off the heat and remove from the burner. It doesn't matter if you still have chunks of feta. Actually, you want chunks.

After 2 minutes, uncover and adjust seasonings. Plate it, drizzle extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle over the reserved chopped parsley.

That was my dinner. Yummy, yummy. I baked the flat bread you see draped over the shrimp with a dough starter that I have been maintaining for over a month in my chiller. It bakes really tasty bread with a nice chew.

Tips 

• To save yourself time and hassle, use frozen shrimp that have been shelled.
• Choose medium size shrimp over small ones. It will look more appetising when plated. Small shrimp will look pretty measly on the table. It will have little to zero ''wow" factor even if it tastes good. We do 'eat' with our eyes first.
• I have cooked and froze this 5 days ahead and thawed in the refrigerator overnight. Add the feta only after warming through. Do not over heat. Still tasted good.
• Again, this tastes good over pasta, rice and in sandwiches. Do try.

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?                                               

It is time for some pickles to go with the meze recipes that I have posted. So look out for my upcoming post on, Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips and Beets.

To recap, this post is part of my series on Meze, A Selection of Wonderful Little Bites. 

First row:

Zaalouk - Moroccan Roasted Eggplants and Tomatoes; Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips & Beets; Moroccan inspired Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad; Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers.

Second row:

Greek inspired Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta; Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices; Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs.

Third row:

Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey; Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers and Tomatoes With Olives; Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta. 

Here are the recipes I have posted:

• Zaalouk, Roasted Eggplants and Peppers
• Flash Fried Sweet Mini Bell Peppers
• Labneh - Lebanese Drained Yogurt Drizzled With Extra Virgin Olive Oil And Clover Honey
• Greek inspired Shrimp With Tomatoes And Feta
• Kabis - Lebanese Pickled Turnips and Beets
• Fresh Figs With Peppered Ricotta
• Hummus with Spiced Angus Beef Slices
• Moroccan inspired Radish, Bell Peppers and Mint Salad
• Beef Kafta - Lebanese inspired Meatballs
• Moroccan inspired Roasted Green Bell Peppers With Tomatoes and Olives
• Moroccan inspired Wholemeal Round Loaf

Prep:

10 minutes

Cook:

30 minutes

Inactive:

-

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 as part of a meze or 2 as a main course with pasta, rice or in a sandwich.

Oven Temperature:

-

Can recipe be doubled?

Yes

Make ahead?

Up to 3 days. Keep covered and refrigerated. It can also be frozen up to 5 days. Hold off adding the feta though. Defrost in the chiller overnight, reheat and then add feta.