Fried Smelt That Stay Crispy (No Batter Needed)
Crispy fried smelt cooks in minutes with nothing but seasoned flour and hot oil. No batter, no deep fryer, just quick, golden results every time.
Table of contents
What are Smelts?
Smelt are small, silvery fish with a mild flavor and soft bones you can eat whole. They spawn each spring in the Great Lakes region, where people still gather at night to scoop them up with nets, a tradition known as smelt dipping. In other areas, they’re caught through the ice using multiple tiny hooks on a single line.
You can sometimes find fresh or frozen smelt at fish markets near the Great Lakes or coastal regions. They’re low in mercury, rich in nutrients like calcium and vitamin D, and cook up fast with just a light breading and hot oil.
How to Clean Fresh Smelts
- Cut off their heads, just past the gills. (Very small smelts can be cooked with their heads attached.)
- Slit the belly to the anal fin.
- Remove entrails.
- Wash the cavity thoroughly. Washing the fish under running water is essential to remove all of the entrails.
How to Freeze Smelt for Later
- Once smelts are cleaned, place them in cold, salted water for approximately one hour.
- Drain
- Freeze in plastic freezer bags or vacuum-sealed bags.
- Freeze them in single-serve packages.
- Adding ½ cup of water to the bag will prolong the length of time they can be frozen.
- They can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Ingredients You’ll Need?
- Flour: You can substitute gluten-free flour.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch makes the fish extra crispy.
- Fine bread crumbs or cornflake crumbs
- Lemon pepper: dried spice in the spice aisle
- Celery salt: you can substitute celery seed and then add salt separately
- Oil: use a high-temperature oil like canola or peanut oil
- Butter:
- Cleaned and dressed smelts: fresh or frozen-thawed. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight.
How to Fry Smelt (Step-by-Step)
We find the best way to cook smelt is shallow pan-fried. They could be battered and deep-fried, but they lose a lot of their health benefits. Technically, they could be baked, too, but we don’t recommend it because they don’t get as crispy.
Measure about 1 cup of flour, two tablespoons of cornstarch, and bread crumbs into a covered bowl or a plastic food storage bag. Add lemon pepper and celery salt. Mix well.
Dry fish with paper towels. Add the fish to the bag and shake to coat.
Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-bottom cast iron skillet until the oil is very hot. Add the smelts to the hot oil.
Brown the first side until they are golden brown. Flip them with a spatula or tongs and fry the other side until the fish is nice and crispy.
Air Fryer Smelt Instructions
Smelt can also be air-fried. Make the flour mixture according to the directions. Coat the fish with the flour mixture. Then, spray the fish with nonstick spray. Place them in the air fryer basket in a single layer and air fry at 375°F for 4-6 minutes on the first side.
Flip the fish and air fry for another 4-6 minutes until they are crispy.
Variations
Depending on the flavor profile you are aiming for, you can use other spices to add a twist.
- Add chili powder for an added kick.
- Add paprika or smoked paprika for a different flavor profile
- Dill goes well with these smelts, especially if you sprinkle with lemon before serving (grate some lemon zest over them, too, after cooking)
- Add Italian seasoning and garlic powder for the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, and make them Italian smelts
- Add Mexican seasonings like garlic, cumin, coriander, chili powder, paprika and Mexican oregano. Make fish tacos with this variation.
Tips for Crispy Fried Smelt
- Add plenty of salt to the flour and cornstarch. (or celery salt)
- Be sure to shake excess flour off of the fish before cooking. You don’t want excess flour in the body cavity because it will not cook properly.
- Cook smelts until crispy for the best texture. You want them to be very crispy.
- Make sure the oil is very hot, and add smelts slowly so that the oil does not cool down too much.
- Eat smaller smelts with the bones. They are soft enough to chew. Larger smelt should have the rib cage removed after frying. To remove the rib cage, grab on the spine with your fingers on the end from where you cut the head off. The entire rib cage will pull out very easily.
- Fun fact: Smelts can be kippered like herring. Kippered smelts are butterflied, salted, and cold smoked, generally using oak.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
We don’t recommend either storing or reheating these little fish. The fish will become overcooked if reheated.
They’re not good when eaten cold the next day, either. The breading becomes soggy. It is best to cook just what you need for a serving.
If you have more than you can eat in one sitting, cook what you can eat and save the rest for the next day, and fry them fresh.
What Sauces to Use for Smelt
Smelts are actually delicious on their own, but lots of sauces go well for dipping them if you love dips. We also like to serve them with a lemon wedge.
- tartar sauce
- comeback sauce
- homemade cocktail sauce
- ketchup
- Thousand Island Dressing
- Fermented Hot Sauce (or Tabasco, Sriracha)
- chili flakes for a bit of kick.
- Fresh, chopped herbs like parsley and dill work very well too.
- Chipotle aioli
- Malt vinegar as the British do for fish and chips
FAQs
Yes. Although it’s a pain, if you catch your own, the entrails need to be removed. They are bitter and unsightly. You can purchase cleaned smelt at grocery stores and fishmongers.
We prefer pan-frying these smelts. It gets them nice and crispy with a great flavor from the butter and lemon.
Fried smelt are best cooked fresh. They don’t reheat well, so cook what you can eat in one serving. If you have extras, save them and cook them the next day.
Fried smelt are popular during spring and fall smelt runs, but they’re also a traditional Christmas Eve dish during the Feast of the Seven Fishes in many Italian-American families.
What to Serve with Smelt
Serve them as an appetizer with a dipping sauce or with one of these side dishes.
- Sweet potato fries
- Fries or chips
- coleslaw
- side salad
- cottage cheese
- mashed potatoes
- lemon wedges
More Fish Recipes You’ll Love
- Pan Fried Bullhead
- Northern Pike
- Stuffed Rainbow Trout
- Grilled Salmon
- Lobster Stuffed Grouper
- Fried Perch
We used to stay up until the sun came up and drive an hour south of us to streams where, if you stayed out most of the night, you were guaranteed to get the best haul of smelts. Then we’d spend the next day cleaning and freezing them for the season. It was cold, messy, and unforgettable, and worth every minute.
Connect with us through our social media pages! Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter.
Please ask any questions or share your comments in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Fried Smelt
Ingredients
- 1 pound smelt
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs can substitute corn flake crumbs
- 2 teaspoon celery salt
- 2 teaspoon lemon Pepper, or to taste
- 2 teaspoon Olive Oil or Canola Oil plus more, if needed
- 1 tablespoon Butter
Instructions
- Add flour, cornstarch, bread crumbs, celery salt and lemon pepper to large covered bowl or plastic food storage bag. Mix well.1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs , 2 teaspoon celery salt, 2 teaspoon lemon Pepper, or to taste
- Add smelts to flour mixture and shake until thoroughly covered. See notes below. You can also dredge them in a bowl.1 pound smelt
- Melt butter in olive oil in large cast iron skillet over high heat.2 teaspoon Olive Oil or Canola Oil, 1 tablespoon Butter
- Add smelts, in batches, to hot oil and fry 2-3 minutes per side until they are golden brown and crispy. Drain on a wire rack.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Video
Notes
- Cocktail Sauce
- Comeback Sauce
- Horseradish Sauce
- Thousand Island Dressing
- Fermented Hot Sauce (or Tabasco, Sriracha)
- Chipotle aioli
- Tartar Sauce
- Ketchup
Nutrition
Originally published May 1, 2019. Updated August 15, 2025.
More About Smelts
Smelt are small, schooling fish that swim upstream each spring to spawn in streams and tributaries around the Great Lakes. In some areas, people still scoop them up at night using dip nets and lanterns, a tradition known as smelt dipping.
They’re also caught through the ice using multiple small hooks on one line. In lakes where dipping isn’t allowed, fishermen use poles instead. Smelt can sometimes be found fresh or frozen at fish markets near the Great Lakes or coastal regions.
- Recipe Name: Fried Smelts
- Type: Appetizer, Seafood
- Main Ingredients: Smelts, flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, oil
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5–7 minutes
- Total Time: 20–25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4–6
- Special Equipment: Heavy skillet or deep fryer
- Great For: Seafood lovers, holiday spreads, quick fish fry, nostalgic appetizers
I live in Alberta, Canada, and years ago could get frozen, dressed smelt (4-6 inches) in some supermarkets, but for years now only tiny ones, undressed and like bait smelt have been available. Some years ago in Edmonton a local seafood retailer was able to get me some from a Scandinavian supplier in season. In Calgary for years now and no smelt. A local retailer said he’d been trying to source some for months (that’s how hard they are to get here!) so left my name on his list a month ago and today he had finally sourced some Atlantic sea smelt! Going to have my first pan fried smelt feed in years tonight!
That’s great! We have a hard time finding them too. Haven’t been able to find any so far this year. We continue to look though. When we can find them they are Canadian (Ontario, I think) Whe we were young we would stay up all night catching and cleaning them but, alas, time wears us down. Lol! Let me know how they turn out! Thanks Joe.
They were great Beth! I purchased enough for 4 meals for myself and am having the second batch tonight. Spacing it out because they ARE expensive, understandable I guess because of how hard they are to get. I was pointed to the local seafood retailer who got them for me (Boyd’s Lobster Shop) by a wholesaler, because in desperation I had called a couple of seafood wholesalers to see if they had any suggestions. And Boyd’s did come through, because luckily they had spent months trying to source them for other customers. You might want to try that route, or a really good local seafood retailer. Just a thought! 🙂
I haven’t been able to find any yet. I’m waiting with anticipation! Glad you liked the recipe Joe.
HI, you my ok the she from for oxen or thaw the thaw them out first
Please let me know as i’m making these for friends tomorrow
dawn
They should thaw before cooking.
How long/days can i store them out side the refrigerator after cooking ?
You don’t want to leave them out of the refrigerated. Leftovers should be refrigerated and will last approximately 3 days.
We ate them a lot when we were kids. And also can make into a nice curry if you are game for it. Some remove the heads and others leave them on. Nice with rice. If you are stuck with a bone in your throat what mum said was to swallow a ball of rice without munching)followed by a glass of water.
My mom always said a wad of white bread, so the same theory. I love curries. I would love to try that! Thanks Ira!
Would like to fry them .
You mean deep fried? You can do that too, just don’t overcook them! Thanks Michael!