Smelts and Fried Tomatoes

If you love taking your time and picking out the bones as you enjoy your fish, then this is the meal for you! If you're starving and just want to eat, don't make this. Luckily I wasn't starving. And I found the work involved trying to eat this dish quite therapeutic. My husband on the other hand, didn't. It was not worth it to him. Maybe it's a genetic thing. My grandfather loved to eat bony fish, especially if he caught it. I didn't enjoy it as much as a kid, but I can appreciate it now.

The fried tomatoes went superbly with every moist morsel of fish I picked out. The crispness of the golden tempura batter on the smelts is what made it all so special. And the addition of oregano to the tomatoes was just sheer brilliance. I love my husband's cooking, in every way, shape and form. He always knows how to make a good meal sensational.

For the fresh heirloom tomatoes, my husband fried them with some garlic, olive oil and oregano. The smelts were coated in tempura batter (store bought) and then fried. Very yummy.