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Smelt Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to smelt
About smelt
Smelt is a type of small fish that offers a delicate, smooth flavor. Each piece of smelt is usually not much larger than eight inches long and is usually bought in large quantities. It is most often sold frozen but can be found fresh in some areas. The type of smelt you find will vary significantly based on where you live. Atlantic Coast fishermen most often find rainbow smelt, whereas fishermen on the Pacific Coast supply whitebait smelt.
Whitebait smelt is a phrase often used to describe a diverse collection of different types of smelt fish. Smelt is also unique in that it frequently travels back and forth from fresh to salt water and can be sourced year-round. Many fishermen ice fish for smelt during the winter months, meaning it is usually easy to find regardless of your area. This can make it an affordable and reliable fish to incorporate into your meals.
Smelt is not only easy to prepare and requires minimal preparation, but it also offers health benefits. Smelt offers the following:
- High levels of nutrients:Â Smelt is high in phosphorus, vitamin B12, and Omega-3 fatty acids. It is also low in mercury.
- Medium levels of other nutrients:Â Smelt can also be a good source of copper, calcium, and zinc, nutrients that are important to your overall health.
- Supplies 30 percent of daily protein needs:Â A small, three-ounce serving of smelt can also supply you with as much as 30 percent of your daily protein needs.
- Low calorie:Â Smelt is a low-fat fish, low in calories, making it a good snack for those following a weight management plan.
Smelt cooking tips
How you choose to cook smelt will vary depending on your preferences. You can eat smelt as an appetizer, in the form of crispy fried pieces, or as a main dish, such as a pan-friend smelt. You might even add cut-up smelt to your homemade pizza for a unique pizza night.
The small size of the fish also makes it the perfect finger food, and some people compare smelt to sardines. What makes smelt different from other types of fish is how easy it is to cook. Some people choose to gut and fry it, whereas others choose to drop whole pieces of smelt in the fryer. You might cook your favorite smelt dishes in any of these methods:
- Fry:Â One of the most common methods of cooking smelt is to fry it. You might cover it with your favorite batter or coat it in flour for a crispy taste.
- Oven-fried: Toss the smelt with your favorite breadcrumbs and bake them in the oven. Then, top it with some lemon juices for an easy dinner.
- Grilled:Â You might grille smelt on the BBQ for an easy meal with minimal clean-up.
- Boil:Â Although less common than other methods, boiling your smelt is a good way to implement it into a soup or stew. Boil it in a pot with vegetable stock and mix in your favorite ingredients.
Most smelt is sold frozen and sold in batches. This means that you will have to give it time to thaw before cooking. You'll also want to consider how many people you are feeding, as well as the size of the dish. We recommend six pieces of smelt for an appetizer per person and double that for an entree. You might fry up a large batch of smelt or add them to a skewer with your favorite vegetables.Â
Smelt Near Me
Buy your favorite Smelt online with Instacart. Order Smelt from local and national retailers near you and enjoy on-demand, contactless delivery or pickup within 2 hours.
FAQs about smelt
Whether or not you decide to clean your smelt before cooking is a preference. While you should remove the entrails before cooking, the smelt doesn't need to be deboned. Its small size makes it the perfect snack and most people eat them whole. If you do prefer to clean it before cooking, simply remove the heads, rinse the rest of the body off, and then cook it as you desire. Once cooked, you can eat the whole smelt as is, including the bones.
One of the most popular methods of cooking smelt is frying. Frying smelt is easy and you only need minimal ingredients. Combine flour and cornmeal in a bowl. Then, coat the smelt in the mixture. Drop it in a pan lightly coated in oil for 2-3 minutes on each side. Once the smelt is finished cooking, let it dry on a wire rack until cooled. Then, serve it with your favorite dipping sauce. Hot sauce or garlic butter are both good options.
No matter how you intend to cook and serve smelt, when you use Instacart to shop, you can get all the ingredients you need for dinner delivered to your front door. Your personal Instacart shopper will select the type and quantity of smelt you want, delivering it to you in as little as 2 hours!