Fried Female Capelin with Belacan Powder

Fried Capelin

I have had fried female capelin with rock salt in Chinese restaurants but this is the first time I am cooking it myself. Capelin is a small forage fish of the smelt family found mostly in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. So, a very common fish in Canada.

Usually the female capelins are about six to seven inches long and real easy to clean. Just use the sharp tip of the knife, gently peel open the side of the fish head and press on the gills, then pull out the gills and the guts all together. By doing that, the eggs are not damaged and remained in the fish stomach.

Female Capelin Fried with Belacan Powder

That is the reason, only the female capelins are eaten. The eggs in the fish is what makes this little fish unique. After cleaning, marinate the fish with some belacan powder. It is the same belacan powder used for frying chicken. If there are no belacan powder than make your own batter with corn starch, some salt for taste, an egg and water. Just fry with that concoction of batter mix. In fact, most restaurants just fried this fish with their own premixed batter.