Crispy whitebait with lemon and tartare sauce

Name: Crispy whitebait with lemon and tartare sauce
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 400g whitebait; 50g plain flour; 1 tsp paprika; 500ml sunflower oil, for frying; 4 tbsp mayonnaise; 1 tbsp capers, chopped; 2 gherkins, finely chopped; 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped; 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Tiny fish dusted in seasoned flour and fried until crisp, with a sharp homemade tartare sauce.

Time20 min
LevelEasy
Costabout £0.89 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

4 servings

Ingredients

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400 gwhitebait
50 gplain flour
1 tsppaprika
500 mlsunflower oilfor frying
4 tbspmayonnaise
1 tbspcaperschopped
2gherkinsfinely chopped
1 tbspflat leaf parsleychopped
1lemoncut into wedges

Method

1
Mix the mayonnaise, capers, gherkins and parsley for the tartare sauce. Chill.
2
Pat the whitebait dry. Mix the flour, paprika and pepper in a bowl and toss the fish in it, shaking off the excess.
3
Heat the oil in a deep pan to 180C, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds.
1 min
4
Fry the whitebait in small batches for 2 minutes until crisp and golden.
2 min
5
Drain on kitchen paper and season with salt.
6
Serve straight away with lemon wedges and the tartare sauce.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.