Sprats

**mouse** · 10-02-2007, 18:20

I remember many many years ago as a young boy my grandmother cooking sprats for me, they were just fried in a little oil and still had the head and tails on.
To eat them you just held the head in one hand and the tail in the other and pulled and the head came away with the backbone attached.
Thing is i cannot remember her gutting them (if she did), would like to try them again but not to sure about eating them with the guts still in especialy with the pollution we get these days

Or was my gran just winding me up and they was gutted ?, (and if they were what a fiddly job).
Thanks Mouse.

**Robski** · 11-02-2007, 09:27

i always gut mine two reasons... first the kids just will not touch em unless i do and secondly unless you caught em yourself you dont know how long they been in that state and i find it imparts a bitter taste. its al personel preference realy many people.. my father included insist on the guts in. with thing like white bait there is no point as the guts disapear in the heat of cooking.

**Slippy** · 11-02-2007, 21:08

Always had them exactly as your Granny did them - still do in fact.

Just roll them in a bit of flour and have them with a bit of salt and vinegar and some crusty bread and butter. Yummy !!

**geffaz** · 13-02-2007, 12:43

delicous have to agree with you slippy!
im off to the fish mongers to get some for my supper!

**dabcatcher** · 13-02-2007, 15:18

we used to collect them by snagging with a string of trebles for float bait for mackerel.

my mates dad always pinched the biggest ones for the pan.

**stubbs** · 13-02-2007, 16:38

Eat them as they are,put sprats straight in a frying pan(heat the oil first) cook for a few minutes and A presto

**Robski** · 14-02-2007, 10:16

Had plateful last night...... dipped in egg( beaten) then coated in a mix of whole meal flour, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, teaspoon dried thyme , seaseme seeds... shallow fried in olve oil until golden-- guts left in as the kids were eating squid rings and the fact they had roe in..... lovely

**Bluefin** · 15-02-2007, 10:39

Did you not think that was a bit of overkill....flavour of plain sprats I find are more than delicious, don't like masking the flavour too much

**Robski** · 15-02-2007, 10:48

well there was a kilo of sprats and when you actually look at the the ingredient amounts it only workd out to small amount that covers the fish. with the qick frying it creates a crispy coating which seals in the moisture and the flavour unlike a marinade with is there intentionally to flavour the fish. Point taken that the coating has a defined flavour but the fish is pretty much un tainted