Smelts
Atherinella panamensis
Common Names: Smelt, Peruvian Smelt
AVAILABILITY Frozen
SEASONAL AVAILABILITY
Year Round Availability
CATCH and COUNTRY of ORIGIN
Wild Caught
Peru
SIZING
Scaled and gutted. Head off.
FLAVOR PROFILE
Sweet, oily flavor with medium texture and fine flake. Medium fat content. Raw flesh is light cream color and cooks up white.
COOKING TECHNIQUES
Grilling, Roasting, Broiling, Pan Searing, Frying, Steaming, Poaching, Smoking.
PRODUCT INFO
Smelt are pelagic (occurring within the midwater column), usually travelling in schools less than one mile from shore and in water less than 19 feet deep. Their movement patterns are associated with seasonal changes in water temperatures. In summer, schools move to deeper, cooler waters; in the fall they enter bays and estuaries where they actively feed until the onset of winter.
