Whitebait? Why not!

Growing up on the east coast of the South Island I remember spending hours at the mouths of rivers as various family members and friends of the family would go whitebaiting.  When it was sunny it was quite fun, when it was overcast and cold, not so much.

Last year I was fondly recalling these times when I decided that I was going to buy whitebait once a year in order to recapture a hint of my youth.

Last year I made do with whatever whitebait I could find and it was all good.

But this year I sought out South Island whitebait.  And I found it.  Lord knows what part of the South Island it was from, but it tasted fantastic.  Probably no different from the North Island stuff.  But to me it tastes of hours spent playing on rocks, moaning to go home, then eventually tucking into a soft fluffy piece of white bread topped with a fresh whitebait pattie with a squeeze of lemon on top.

Kind of like this ...

The recipe?  Simply:

250 grams whitebait
2 free range eggs
Salt
Pepper

Whisk.
Fry in butter.
Serve.

Yum.