Crayfish fritter, Kaikora
Anybody who knows me (which I’m going to assume you probably don’t) will also know that I love food. So aside from being a failing vegetarian, yes I eat seafood these days and yes I feel like a fraud every time, I have developed a small obsession with the history of New Zealand cooking. It probably has partly to do with the fact that most pakeha (white people) here originated from the UK, and partly to do with the whole ‘make do with what you’ve got’ attitude past down from the pioneering days bur the kiwi kitchen is kind of simple, and at times even a little gross. Now I can probably thank a slightly irritating but never the less interesting bloke by the name of Richard Till for my new found fascination. I was sitting on the couch watching mind numbing day time television last winter (What?! I don’t make a habit of it! But it was cold and miserable outside so what else was I going to do?) when suddenly this cooking show comes on and it’s not your usual designer kitchen, pre-prepared, talk for the sake of talking kind of programme. This guy was travelling up and down the country to some of the most remote little places (of which New Zealand has many!) and getting the locals to cook up their specialties. Being that I am a first generation New Zealander (if that, I wasn’t even born here) I hadn’t ever been properly exposed to how most people live here, and have probably lived for generations. Here are some recipes for authentic Kiwi cuisine that I’ve discovered along the way…
Whitebait Fritters (Whitebait in case you’re wondering are baby fish that are only caught at a certain time of year when they head from the rivers out to sea. They are cooked and eaten whole… heads and all!)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Whitebait rinsed and dried off
1 Egg
Milk (roughly 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup Plain White Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
Directions:
Whisk egg and a little milk together.
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the middle and add egg mixture. Mix quickly until a smooth batter forms, with a fork but don’t over mix or fritters will be rubbery.
Heat frypan pan with plenty of oil to shallow fry.
Add the whitebait to the batter mixture.
Fry heaped spoonfuls at a time, flip when golden brown.
Drain on paper towel and then serve with a sprinkle of salt and a slice of lemon (or between two pieces of white buttered bread).
Enjoy! x
