Neonati burger

• By Mark Camilleri

Bernard Muscat's wine recommendation: The batter adds richness to this delicate fish: Beni di Batasiolo Pinot-Chardonnay Spumante Brut or B & G Chablis - from M Demajo (Wines & Spirits).

For 6 people, you will need:

330g of whitebait (neonati/makku) - rinsed, six burger-buns, three plum tomatoes (sliced), 300g of lettuce (cleaned), oil for frying, three cloves of garlic (peeled and minced), 120g of chives (finely chopped), 90ml of mayonnaise, 90g of parsley (chopped), three eggs, 90g of soft flour ‘00’ (sifted), two teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, salt and pepper, the zest of one lemon.

Put the whitebait in a bowl. Make batter of dropping consistency with the flour, baking-powder, zest, egg, parsley, salt and pepper. If it is too thick, add some milk; if it is too loose, add some more flour. Stir the whitebait into the batter and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. Mix the garlic and chives into the mayonnaise. Prepare the buns with lettuce and sliced tomatoes, as for a normal burger. Heat some oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan, and drop into it burger-sized amounts of battered whitebait, frying them on each side for three minutes at a time, until golden. Place them on kitchen paper to soak up the oil before putting them into the prepared buns. Serve them at once.