The Frying of Fish

Friture de poissons (deep-fried small fish) teaches one law: the crust must set before the flesh has time to dry. That requires small fish or thin fillets, a light coat rather than armor, and fat already very hot when the fish enters. Begin with a thick steak and the outside will exhaust itself before heat reaches the center. Begin with cool fat and the flour will drink it.

The classical kitchen assumed a deep copper frying kettle, a generous supply of filtered fat held ready through service, and a drainer dressed with special papers. For four people, one cook needs a heavy straight-sided pot filled no more than halfway, a thermometer, and a wire rack. Capacity and presentation have changed because you are feeding a table, not a dining room. The napkin, special paper, and decorative crisscrossing were brigade scaffolding and may go. Salted milk, flour, and very hot fat are the dish, so they stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.

Done properly, the fish arrives bronze and crisp at its fine edges, moist beneath the crust, with dark green fried parsley and lemon ready to cut through the richness. The step that decides everything is temperature: let the oil return to 375°F (190°C) before every batch.