Much better actually i think, I eat both, Cut the bodies, Cut off the heads clean and rinse, Recipe is simple for these, 2 tbl spoons Salt, 1c Flour, I place them in a zip lock, Shake them up and fry them in cooking oil, It makes them crispy, Supermarkets or fish mkts up here will carry them in season too.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/236481/fried-smelts/