Port Washington Fried Smelt - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups flour
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed
1 cup beer
20 unsalted saltine crackers, crushed fine
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 (48 ounce) bottle peanut oil or (48 ounce) bottle vegetable oil
2 lbs cleaned fresh smelt

Preparation

Whisk together the flour, 1 1/4 cups water and beer in a large bowl until smooth; add more water, if needed, to make a thin batter.
Combine crackers and cornmeal in a pie plate.
Heat oven to 200\u00b0.
Heat oil in a heavy, deep saucepan over medium-high heat until temperature reads 375\u00b0.
Dip smelt a few at a time into beer batter, allowing excess to drip off; roll lightly in cracker mixture.
Add smelts to hot oil in batches; cook, turning occasionally, until crisp and browned on all sides, about 3 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and keep warm in oven while frying the remaining smelt.
Serve hot.