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Whitebait Fritters
FISHY BUSINESS!
NEW ZEALAND
Whitebait fritters are a delicacy from New Zealand and one of the most prized seafood in the country. It is a small fish that is battered in eggs, flour, butter, salt and pepper and deep fried.
The term whitebait does not refer to one specific type of fish, it is a term used worldwide to describe young, small freshwater fish, around 5-6 cm long. In New Zealand, this term refers to 5 species of fish from the Galaxiidae family. These young fish swim together close to the coast, sometimes even upstream, making it easy to catch them with fine-meshed fishing nets. Due to overfishing and climate change, the number of whitebait fish has reduced drastically, which is why the whitebaiting – catching whitebaits – is a seasonal and rather difficult activity in New Zealand. It is legally fixed and limited (mid-August until late November), net sizes are strictly controlled, and blocking the river or leading the fish into the net is forbidden, to allow some fish to reach adulthood. This all leads to very high prices of whitebaits in New Zealand, going up to NZ $140 per kilogram.
The recipe for whitebait fritter is quite simple, in contrast to the rather pricey fish. The batter is made from eggs and flour, but the very traditional recipes don’t include flour. The fish is then added to the batter, seasoned and it is then deep-fried into something resembling the omelet. As all the main ingredients for this dish – fish and eggs – are the hardest to substitute, it was rather difficult to make this dish in a vegan version. For the vegan fish, we used baby corn, which we then enhanced with nori sheets and sea salt, and for the egg, we used two types of egg substitute.
These fritters can be consumed as a snack, appetizer or even a main meal with a salad on a side.
RECIPE FOR 8 LARGE FRITTERS
// easy peasy // €€€
Preparation: 10 min // Cooking: 20 min // Total: 30 min
INGRIDIENTS
1 can of baby corn, cut lengthwise into 4 pieces
1 cup of all-purpose flour
vegan egg 1: mix 1 Tbsp of corn starch and 3 Tbsp of water
vegan egg 2: mix 2 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of vegetable oil and 2 Tbsp of water
1 cup sparkling mineral water**
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
4 tsp of onion soup powder or DIY mixture*
1 Tbsp of nori flakes
1 Tbsp of coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp turmeric**
1 tsp Kala Namak salt***
salt to taste
- In a medium bowl mix pieces of baby corn, nor flakes and coarse sea salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add flour, turmeric and Kala Namak salt and mix well. Add both vegan eggs and a pinch of salt, and mix well.
- Add half of the sparkling mineral water and stir the mixture. Add the rest of the sparkling mineral water and mix everything. The mixture should be thick & runny but not too gloopy, so you might not need the whole amount of the sparkling mineral water or you might need more.
- Add the baby corn mixture and mix everything well.
- Heat oil in a frying pan. Add dollops of fritter mixture and fry until golden on both sides.
- Allow fritters to drain on a paper towel, then serve with lemon wedges, sauce, bread and butter, or salad if desired.
- Kia pai to kai!
NOTE!
* Sparkling mineral water helps to combine all the ingredients
** Turmeric gives the mixture the yellow color of an egg.
*** Kala Namak salt gives the mixture smell and taste of an egg.
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Keep it Vegan!
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