Sprats, Latin Sprattus, a distinct genus within the same family as sardine and herring. These sprats are from the Baltic. Needless to say they are similarly oily and loaded with good omega-3. Highly anti-inflammatory, they make perfect partners with a light leafy salad and great bedfellows to a good, starchy hash.
Sprats
Eat them whole. Heads, tails, guts, the lot. Eat them whole.
If you're at all queasy about heads, cut them off. Actually, from there you can gut the fish by squeezing the belly up to where the head was. The guts will come out. Wash and you're done.
Otherwise, just make a small incision behind the gills and squeeze the belly up to the head to draw the guts.
Or, leave them in ... it's all good flavour!
You can pan-fry sprats or you can grill them. I prefer the grill. You say tomato, I say tomato. I'm British, and a grill for me is an overhead heat source: broiler, salamander.
Pan frying can be quite violent, leaving your sprats broken up and the fats over-cooked. Grill 'em. Lay your sprats out on a piece of kitchen foil and place under the grill on high. Two or three minutes each side is perfect.
Plate 'em up.
Scrambled Eggs
Scrambled eggs takes almost no time.
For one, two to three eggs is good. I get huge eggs from the chickens just up there on the corner, so used two. I'd use three otherwise.
Crack them into a bowl and muddle with a fork. Muddle, not whisk - trust me, it gives a really nice texture at the end.
Warm up a skillet with some butter and pour in the eggs.
Fold gently a few times, removing from the heat to use the residual to gently cook through as you fold the uncooked egg towards the base of the pan.
Done? Great!
Plate up ...
Splash of your favourite spicy condiment over the sprats and get stuck in. I went with Tabasco.
