Editing Smelt (fish) (section)

==Culinary use==
[[File:Smelt.jpg|thumb|left|Close-up of smelt for sale at a California seafood market]]

=== North America ===
Smelts are an important winter catch in the saltwater mouths of rivers in [[New England]] and the Maritime Provinces of [[Canada]]. Fishermen would historically go to customary locations over the ice using horses and sleighs. Smelt taken out of the cold saltwater were preferred to those taken in warm water. The fish did not command a high price on the market, but provided a source of supplemental income due to their abundance. The smelts were "flash frozen" simply by leaving them on the ice and then sold to fish buyers who came down the rivers.

In the present day, smelts are fished commercially using nets at sea, and for recreation by hand-netting, spearing or angling them through holes in river ice. They are often the target fish of small 'fishing shack' villages that spring up along frozen rivers. Typical ways of preparing them include pan-frying in flour and butter, deep-frying in batter and cooking them, directly out of the water, over small stoves in the shacks.

In January 2025, the smelt gained notoriety after being mentioned by president-elect [[Donald Trump]] in a critique of [[Gavin Newsom]], the governor of California during the [[2025 California wildfires]]. In his January 8, 2025 [[Truth Social]] post, Trump referred to the smelt as "an essentially worthless fish," and he stated that Newsom blocked the provision of water for drinking purposes and firefighters in order to protect local smelt populations, which ultimately led to raging wildfires and extensive property damage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trump Alleges California Burning As Governor Tried To Save 'Worthless' Fish |date=9 January 2025 |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/california-wildfire-donald-trump-trump-alleges-california-burning-as-governor-tried-to-save-worthless-fish-7433882 |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=ndtv.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Tim |last=Dickinson |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-bashes-newsom-worthless-fish-los-angeles-wildfires-1235229278/ |title=Trump Pushes Misinfo, Blames Dems and 'Worthless Fish' for LA Blazes |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=9 January 2025 }}</ref>

==== Canada ====
[[File:Fried smelt food dinner cooked.jpg|thumb|Fried smelt]]
Indigenous peoples in Canada native to the Great Lakes regions (Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Superior), as well as nearby Lake Erie (which still is well known for its smelts today), were both familiar and partially dependent upon smelts as a dietary source of protein and omega fats that didn't require a large effort or hunting party to obtain. Smelts are one of the best choices of freshwater and saltwater fish to eat, as one of the types of edible fish with the lowest amount of mercury.<ref name=":0" />

Smelts can be found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as in some freshwater lakes across Canada. Smelts were eaten by many different native peoples who had access to them. One popular way that First Nations of the Pacific coast made dried smelts more appealing was to serve it with oil.<ref name=":0" /> Eulachon, a type of smelt, contains so much oil during spawning that, once dried, it can literally be burned like a candle; hence its common nickname of the "candlefish".<ref name=":0" />

Today, there are numerous recipes and methods of preparing and cooking smelts. A popular First Nations recipe calls for the removal of all the fishes' bones, uses canola or peanut oil for frying, and has a breaded-like coating mixed with lemon juice and grated parmesan cheese (with a few other basic ingredients) to coat the smelts prior to frying them.<ref name=":0" />

=== East Asia ===
[[File:Nors (Osmerus eperlanus L.).jpg|thumb|Dried smelt]]
Smelt is popular in Japan, as the species ''Sprinchus lanceolatus'', and is generally served grilled, called ''[[shishamo]]'', especially when full of eggs.

Smelt [[roe]], specifically from [[capelin]], called masago in Japanese, is yellow to orange in color and is often used in [[sushi]].

Smelt is also served in Chinese ''[[dim sum]]'' restaurants where it is deep fried with the heads and tails attached, identified as ''duō chūn yú'' ({{lang|zh|多春魚}}) or ''duō luǎn yú'' ({{lang|zh|多卵魚}}), "many egg fish" or which loosely translates as "fish with many eggs".<ref name="Japan">{{cite web|title=[Japan Smelt fishing Popularity Ranking] Ice / Dome Boat Tour! Lake Leisure A thorough introduction to winter tradition of smelt fishing! {{!}} Activity Japan|url=https://en.activityjapan.com/feature/smelt_fishing_nationwide/|access-date=21 December 2020|website=Activity Japan |archive-date=31 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031105203/https://en.activityjapan.com/feature/smelt_fishing_nationwide/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Smelt is one of the prime fish species eaten in [[Tamil Nadu]] as Nethili fry, Nethili karuvadu (dried fish), coastal [[Karnataka]], especially in [[Mangalore]] and [[Udupi]] regions, usually fried with heads and tailed removed or in curries. They are called 'Bolingei' (ಬೊಳಂಜೆ) in [[Kannada language|Kannada]] and [[Tulu language|Tulu]] and 'MotiyaLe' in [[Konkani language|Konkani]].{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}