6 Things you didn't know about Whitebait
Sept. 20, 2018
Whitebait season has arrived on the West Coast, here are a few things you may not know about this little creature and the season itself:
- Whitebait is a collective term for the immature
fry of fish, they’re quite tiny.
- There are strict regulations in place for when
you can actually fish for Whitebait in New Zealand, which is why it’s called
Whitebait season.
- Whitebait is edible and considered a delicacy
(especially here on the West Coast). The entire fish is eaten.
- Whitebait season on the West Coast runs from September
to November each year. Fishing for Whitebait is done with nets in the lower
parts of the river.
- The traditional way of cooking whitebait is to
make a whitebait fritter, which is basically an omelette containing the fish.
You then serve this on a piece of bread with a drizzle of lemon juice.
- During the season we host Whitebait Festivals.
There is the Haast Whitebait Festival on 6 October and the Westport Whitebait
Festival on 20 October 2018.
