The whitebait season has started. All sorts of people gather at rivers in an effort to get even a cupful of this delicacy. We never hear of the hauls as they don't tell anybody.
Some of our local cafe's now offer whitebait patties but it really depends on how many whitebait are put into the recipe. Two whitebait - ? They are only 1 and 1/2 ins long and as thin as an electricity cord. A good pattie should have at least a cupful in it!
I was in NZ in the Whitebait season and as we drove around the South Island we saw signs everywhere for whitebait rolls/sandwiches/omelettes and any way they could cook and sell them in the cafes. I tried an omelette and loved it. The whitebait were much smaller than the ones we have here in the UK which I love as a starter. I think they are the baby whitebait they are catching. Great photo of all the fishermen out on th e beach.
@pamknowler In New Zealand it describes the juvenile forms (around 4–5 centimetres long) of five species of the fish family Galaxiidae of which I have no knowledge whatsoever!
We have some good whitebait rivers around here as well and a true Whitebaiter will only say .." Got enough for a feed'.. when actually he has a 10 litre bucket ... I had a feed of fresh whitebait a few days ago and has to be made with only egg and lots of whitebait.. a real treat..
@ludwigsdiana Oh, bum... Diana! My hubby pointed that out and I fixed but then I didn't obviously save it. Fixed now and thank you for saying this. I notice others not quite right and never know to point it out or not!
Never thought about how whitebait were caught so this is a fascinating picture to view. Must be exciting to watch and for the fishermen to haul them in. In the River Severn, elvers (baby eels) are one of the catches in spring.
