My local fish store (well, my on the way home fish store: Al’s Seafood on rte 1 in North Hampton, NH) has been featuring already cleaned Maine shrimp and Great Bay smelt. This is one of the funnest parts of eating locally with the seasons - the foods that come into their own in the winter.

I’ve been chowing down on the shrimp regularly, especially since they are already cleaned and I understand that the fisheries are pretty sustainable, but smelt . . well, this transplant to New England has yet to get her feet wet. A bit of internet searchery reveals that they are commonly floured and fried, but does anyone have an idea as to the sustainability?