My introduction to shishamo was via Izakaya Bottakuri, a manga series that had been adapted for television. Each episode features Japanese dishes that are actually cooked at home and rarely served at restaurants. There’s an episode where pond smelt was fried and served with lemon wedges to squeeze over the crispy fish.
I liked the simplicity of the cooking process and how the fish was served, so I decided to make a version using tilapia fillets. Lovely texture, great flavor, but I didn’t know what I was missing until I was able to buy shishamo and cook the fish at home.
Shishamo belongs to the smelt family and native to Hokkaido, Japan. It’s silver and white, and the average length is around six inches.
What’s so special amount shishamo is the amount of eggs hidden in the fish’s belly. Each fish is practically bursting with eggs. If you’re a fan of fish eggs / roe, I urge you to try shishamo. It’s easy to prep and cook.
Rinse the fish and pat dry with a kitchen towel. If you’re intimidated with the heads, cut them off. But, really, shishamo is so small, the bones are so soft and, after frying, everything is edible.
Season the fish lightly with salt and pepper, with or without the heads, then toss in potato starch. Not much but just enough to coat the fish so that there’s less oil spatter during frying. The light starch coating also gives the fish extra crispness.
Fry in batches until lightly browned and crisp.
It’s crucial that you serve the shishamo immediately. The fish loses its beautiful cooked texture fast. So, as soon as they are lifted from the hot oil, move to a strainer and allow excess oil to drip off. Then, serve. We had our shishamo with congee.
More to enjoy
- Fish roe and eggs: are they the same?
- Fish katsu (inspired by the fried pond smelt dish in Izakaya Bottakuri)
- Congee (how to cook and recipes), in case you want to enjoy your shishamo with it.
