Baltic sprats in olive oil with cayenne pepper. The sprats have a smooth, firm texture and are lightly smoked with a mild chilli kick from the cayenne. Diplomats is a Latvian cannery noted for its smoked sprats, a staple of the region's cuisine.
Serving tip: try these lightly smoked, mildly spiced sprats on toast with cooling, creamed avocado. Or make a hearty pasta sauce for two: sauté diced carrot, celery and onion in olive oil, add a clove or two of minced garlic, then a tin of chopped tomatoes and simmer. Add the sprats and warm through.
About the fish: the sprats, known as brisling or brisling sardines in Latvia, are wild-caught in the Baltic Sea. Smoked, it is a traditional staple in the country's cuisine. The sprat (Sprattus sprattus) is one of twenty species of sardines found across the world. It is an oily fish with all the goodness of its celebrated sibling, the European pilchard (Sardinus Pilchardus), the sardine found in Spanish and Portuguese tins. The sprat, however, is smaller, less scaly, more tender, and the colder waters where it is found means it is fattier and has a more buttery texture.
About the cannery: they are canned in Latvia by the artisans at Diplomats, a renowned tinned fish brand, with a history dating back to 1907. The fish is canned using 100% artisanal methods in its state of the art cannery in the seaside village of Engure, on the shore of the Gulf of Riga. Diplomats is noted for its high quality smoked sprats and has built its reputation upon them. Its signature is taking traditional Latvian cuisine - smoked sprats, salmon, trout and herring - and introducing elements from international cuisine to give their recipes a novel spin.
