Fresh Salmon, Fried

A terse instruction that assumes you know your fish. The only real variables are thickness, fat temperature and how long the salmon stays in the pan.

• The slices"Slices" here most likely means cross-cut steaks from a whole salmon, cut just under an inch thick as the recipe specifies. Fillet portions of the same thickness work, but they cook faster on the thin tail end.
• Fat temperature"Hot fat" for a crumbed piece means about 350-365F — hot enough that the coating sets on contact but not so hot it colours before the centre warms. A shallow half-inch of neutral oil in a heavy skillet is enough; the original would most likely have used lard or drippings.
• TimingAn inch-thick steak needs roughly 4 minutes a side. The recipe gives no doneness cue; period fish cookery generally aimed at firm and cooked through. Modern practice pulls it at 125-130F in the centre, still faintly translucent, which takes closer to 3 minutes a side.
• Two coatings, two resultsPlain flour gives a thin crust that goes soft quickly and is best eaten straight from the pan. Egg and crumbs gives a heavier, more durable shell; let the crumbed steaks sit ten minutes before frying so the coating adheres.
• SeasoningThe recipe gives none. Salt the fish itself before dredging, and season the flour or crumbs as well — salt applied only to the outside of a crust never reaches the salmon.
• Drying the fishBlot the steaks thoroughly before flouring. Wet salmon steams the coating loose and spits in the fat, which is the usual reason a dredged fry turns out pale and patchy.
• ServingOne inch-thick steak per person. Lemon, drawn butter and cucumber salad were common period accompaniments to salmon, though this recipe specifies none.