Fried Smelts

Chipotle Lime Mayonnaise Recipe: 

 Place 3 ounces of mayonnaise into a small bowl.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of dark chipotle hot sauce.
Add 1 pinch of cumin.
Add 1 pinch of paprika.
Add sea salt and white pepper.
Add 1 squeeze of lime juice.
Stir the ingredients together.
Place the chipotle lime mayonnaise into a ramekin and set it aside.

Seasoned Breading Mixture:

 It is always best to have some extra bread crumb mixture when breading fish. The leftover bread crumb mixture can be sifted and saved for another recipe.
Place 4 cups of bread crumbs into a mixing bowl.
Add sea salt and black pepper.
Add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of oregano.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of dried basil.
Add 1 teaspoon of ground sage.
Add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
Stir the ingredients together.

Fried Smelts Recipe:

Dredge 20 to 25 boned smelts in flour.
Dip the smelts in egg wash.
Bread only a few smelts at a time in this next step!
Place a few egg washed smelts in the seasoned bread crumbs and toss the smelts with the bread crumbs, till they are completely coated.
Place the breaded smelts on a platter.
Repeat these steps, till all of the smelts are breaded.
Place 4" to 5" of vegetable frying oil in a high sided pot.
Heat the frying oil to 360f.
Add the smelts to the hot frying oil. (Fry the smelts in batches, if you use a smaller size pot for frying.)
Fry the smelts in the hot oil, till they become golden brown in color.
Use a fryer net remove the fried smelts from the hot oil.
Place the fried smelts on a dry towel to drain off the excess oil.