Recalled small spoiled fish (4)
I believe the answer is:
dabs
'fish' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'recalled small spoiled' is the wordplay.
'recalled' is a reversal indicator (to recall can mean to bring something back).
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'spoiled' becomes 'bad' (synonyms).
's'+'bad'='sbad'
'sbad' reversed gives 'DABS'.
(Other definitions for dabs that I've seen before include "Small quantities of liquid" , "Fish; fingerprints" , "Applies light touches" , "Fingerprints (informal)" , "incriminating evidence, perhaps" .)