Just a reminder, when eating "night fish," just batter and fry whole. No cleaning necessary, but keep in mind that sometimes there are sand grains in the gills, so grab them by the heads, dip in sauce and scarf everything but the head and gills. That's what I do anyway.
Oh man, I love these little guys. KQED filmed a video of me going after them and the Fishwife frying them up - see HERE. Before that I've written passionately about them on The Monkeyface News over the years and made my own weird night smelt VIDEOS highlighting the insanity and the thrill of fishing for these fish. Much milder than anchovies and perfect for the fry pan. They are classically served fried, but the Fishwife likes to bake and broil them too, the way she does with surf smelt.
PREP
Be sure to wash and rinse them and then consider how to cook them. Virtually every fisherman on the coast and most of the chefs who cook these fish fry them whole: heads, guts and all. They do not as a rule feed while spawning so there's nothing in their stomachs. The only problem in eating them whole is that they tend to swallow a little sand, and also there may be a few sand grains in their gills. It's no more grit than what you get in an average oyster, but I want to point it out before you guys chomp down on whole night smelt. Personally I prefer them headed and gutted and that’s what I suggest you do. It will take you 15 minutes to clean your bag of fish (bags are 2.25 to 2.5 pounds), and this is a good way to practice your fish butchery skills. And BTW: night smelt DO NOT have to be scaled—which is always the hardest part of cleaning a small fish! They also keep well frozen if need be.
INFO PAGE: click for more info
ORIGIN: Dude Gifford, Eureka, CA
METHOD: A-frame dip net, based on a Native American design that has been used on the California coast for many thousands of years.
RECIPE: Night smelt fish fry (or, fries with eyes!)
More Night smelt madness HERE
VIDEO: Night smelt fishing in California, employing the use of traditional Native American A-frame dip net.
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