Whitebait is a non-specific term used for completely different fish in
different regions of the world. The term is little used here in North
America, but in most cases it indicates fish that are in the early
juvenile stage. Many unrelated species are included in the term. Only
the Chinese Whitebait are mature fish, but they maintain juvenile
characteristics their entire lives. Whitebait are generally fish that
can be caught in the juvenile stage in very large numbers. This capture
has had deleterious effects on adult fish populations.
More on Varieties of Fish
(very large page).
[Family Clupeidae, Sprats & Herring]
Unlike the Whitebait of most of the world, those most common in the British Isles appear in the form of adult fish, just very small, up to about 3 inches, and quite thin. They are usually floured or lightly battered, deep fried and served "heads, guts and feathers", with a sprinkling of lemon juice. They are almost always purchased frozen, as they are quick frozen on the ships, immediately upon capture.
Some fisheries in the Baltic are considered sustainable due to the
extremely high fecundity of the particular species, but other fisheries
are having a deleterious effect on stocks of adult fish.
Photo by Tom Betts, contributed to the Public Domain
.
[Family Galaxidae, mostly genus Galaxias]
These fish are harvested as transparent juveniles, up to 2 inches long.
In Australia there was once a significant fishery, but depletion of the
adult fish populations from harvesting jeveniles was so severe commercial
fishing is now banned. Recreational fishing for Galaxias is severely limited.
In New Zealand, the commercial catch is severely limited, and recreational
fishing is under strict controls. They are still in demand by gourmets, so
the cost is very high. The photo is of an adult fish, about 4 inches long.
Deatils and Cooking.
Photo by Johannes Schoeffmann distributed under license
Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike v3.0 unported.
[Silver Fish, Chinese Icefish, Chinese Noodlefish; Chaohu, Bai Fan Yu
(China); Cá Ngan Trung Hoa (Viet); Family Salangidae
(Icefishes, Noodlefishes) of Order Osmeriformes (Smelts)]
These fish may be found in fresh water, saltwater, and brackish water, but most spawn in fresh water. Varieties vary from 1-1/2 inch to just over 6 inches long. They maintain their juvenile form through their entire life, which is usually 1 year, or at most 2 years. The longest in the photo was 2-5/8 inch long, and the ones in the photo at the top of the page grow to a little over 6 inches long. Various sizes are to be found frozen in Asian markets here in Southern California.
These are in good supply, not endangered, cultured in ponds, lakes,
and rivers, and quite affordable. They are often used in soups, but
the big ones can be deep fried. The smaller ones would be a good choice
for faking up New Zealand Whitebait Fritters, but, as any gourmet
(especially an Asian gourmet) will tell you, without the high price
they just can't taste very good - the cost is the most important
flavor enhancement. For more on these fish see our
Icefish / Noodlefish / Silverfish
page.