Air Fried Sprats With Lemon Pepper

Learn how to make some crispy sprats in the air fryer with a homemade lemon pepper herb seasoning and drizzled with lemon oil. No deep fat frying, no hot oil splattering, no mess and ready in 30 minutes.

Jump to:

• What are sprats?
• Reasons why you will love this recipe
• Ingredients you will need
• The steps
• Notes and tips
• More fish recipes to try
• Air Fried Sprats With Lemon Pepper

It's been a while since I actually made some sprats because they just haven't been on my radar for awhile however, I bought a big bag last week from the fish monger on a whim and I'm glad I did.

I got in the kitchen and rather than plan things safe by oven baking sprats with my usual all purpose seasoning, instead I got to work and improvised with new flavours.

What are sprats?

Sprats are a small oily fish from the herring family and are common in the UK and various parts of Europe.

You can purchase them whole or smoked with plenty of depth in flavour.

Sprats are a nutritional powerhouse, high in vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acids, protein and rich in calcium, what more could you ask for?

Sprats are a popular choice of fish for Jamaicans, they are often seasoned and pan fried with vegetables however, growing up we would buy the smallest sprats, gut them and bake them in oven until crispy.

In this recipe this small humble fish gets a make over trading in the all purpose seasoning for some lemon pepper seasoning.

Lemon pepper seasoning is the backbone of this recipe. It brings together the citrusy lemon zest with the gentle heat from the black pepper, paired with onion, garlic granules and herbaceous thyme and parsley.

Reasons why you will love this recipe

• No deep fat frying
• You get that cripsiness using the air fryer instead of copious amounts of oil
• Sprats are generally affordable especially for a big bag
• Easy to gut and de-bone because of their size
• They are the perfect high protein snack
• Big on flavour

Ingredients you will need

• Sprats - The star of the show, these fish are generally small in size.
• Lemon pepper seasoning - I'm using my homemade lemon pepper seasoning, my seasoning has a combination of dried lemon peel, onion granules, garlic granules, parsley, thyme and black pepper.
• Pink salt - This will help to enhance the taste of the seasoning.
• Lemon oil - This helps to give the sprats a nice citrusy taste and optimises the lemon flavour.

The steps

• Place the sprats in colander and squeeze fresh lime all over them (you can use vinegar aswell by pouring some over the sprats).
• Use your hands to completely coat the sprats with the lime and vinegar (if you are using it aswell).
• Rinse off the sprats thoroughly with cold water.

• Use a small knife to gut the fish by making an incision in the belly and cut from the tail end to the head of the fish.
• Use the knife to scrap out the fish guts and gently pull to remove the bones, it should remove with ease (don't worry if it breaks apart).
• Rinse the sprats again after they have been gutted and use some kitchen towel to completely blot them dry (wet fish won't crisp).

• Place the lemon pepper seasoning and pink salt in a spice or coffee grinder and mill into a fine consistency.
• Transfer the sprats into a large bowl and season with the lemon pepper seasoning and pink salt.

• Line the air fryer basket and place the sprats in the basket making sure not to overcrowd (you may need to air fry them in batches).
• Air fry at190C/374F for 10-15 minutes or until the sprats are crispy, keep a watchful eye on the sprats as you don't want them to burn so check them often.

• Once all the sprats are air fried place them on a plate and drizzle them with the lemon oil before serving.

Notes and tips

• If you are using my homemade seasoning then you need this Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning.
• Make sure to mill the seasoning in a spice or coffee grinder before using, you want it to be as fine as possible so it doesn't burn.
• If you aren't using my homemade seasoning, check the ingredients and adjust to mirror what I am using by adding 1 teaspoon of the following ingredients if are they not included in the store bought version (onion granules, garlic granules, parsley, thyme, black pepper and pink salt).
• Only add the pink salt if necessary, if you are using a store bought seasoning, check the label and omit to avoid the recipe being too salty.
• Sprats are generally an oily fish therefore you don't need to add any oil (aside from drizzling with the lemon oil).
• If you are using frozen sprats make sure to defrost them ahead of time.
• Don't skip drying the sprats it makes a difference to how crispy the sprats become.
• Save yourself sometime by cleaning and gutting the fish the day before and refrigerate until you are ready to use. 
• The brand of lemon oil that I am using is Critida Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Lemon Oil, you can purchase on Amazon.

More fish recipes to try

• Jamaican Crispy Oven Baked Sprats 
• Baked Snapper (Mojo Style)
• Mackerel Rundown Recipe
• Bahamian Conch Salad Recipe
• Oven Baked Tamarind Fish (Caribbean Style)
• Air Fryer Whole Fish
• Saltfish Buljol

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