Whitebait Fritters

Small school fish are caught in shallow bays around Malta using hand-held seine nets. Floats keep the nets up on the surface, so the method doesn’t damage the seabed like trawlers. It’s a preferred fishing technique that I hope Malta holds on to. These fritters traditionally contain onion and garlic, but I like to taste only the fish with a fresh dash of lemon and herbs, so I leave them out (but you can add if you like). While the fritters are usually cooked in a frying pan in the kitchen, they can easily be cooked on a flat barbecue near the beach or by the pool – they are beautiful on a hot day. Serve them with a green salad, or my White bean salad. The recipe makes four fritters, but you can make them smaller if you want to serve as an appetiser.