I've been seeing frozen capelin a lot in supermarket recently. My wife always loves it when she's out. So I decide to buy the frozen ones to prepare at home for her. The biggest concern is the strong fishy smell. So, I add many extra step to cleaning the fish. I start by coating them evenly with cornstarch and then rinse them gently with water, being careful not to handle them too roughly. After washing it, I pat them dry with kitchen paper towels and then spray both sides with Japanese sake. This process really eliminates most of the fishy smell (there's still a little, but it's hardly noticeable). And then I will fry them in the air fryer until they're crispy. They are incredibly delicious. They're perfect for pairing with beer or soda. You really can't go wrong with them.
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Ingredients
- 200 g frozen capelin
- 40 g all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Sake
- 1 tbsp Chinese salt and pepper seasoning
Seasoning
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp Chinese 5 spices powder
Instructions
- Thaw the frozen capelin beforehand. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and mix well. Rinse thoroughly with water and pat dry.
- Add seasoning to the capelin, then mix in some sake. Then, evenly coat each fish with flour.
- Place the capelin in the air fryer, spray with oil, and air fry it at 200°C/400°F for 8 minutes.
- Flip the capelin, spray with oil, and bake at 200°C/400°F for another 8 minutes.
- Plate the capelin, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and enjoy while hot!
Notes
Homemade Szechuan pepper salt
1. In a pan, without oil, heat 2 tablespoons (35g) of Sichuan peppercorns, 4 tablespoons (70g) of salt, and 1 star anise over low heat. Stir-fry until the salt turns slightly yellow (about 6 minutes). Let it cool and set aside.
2. After cooling down, grind the mixture into powder using a blender. Then, sift the powder and transfer it into a bottle for storage.
* A simpler method would be to use 1 tablespoon of Sichuan peppercorn powder and 4 tablespoons of salt. However, the drawback is that the fragrance may be less intense compared to the freshly ground mixture.