Flounders, Fried

A straightforward shallow- or deep-fried whole flatfish; the only real technique in it is the two-hour salting, which is doing more work than it appears to.

• The salting is the hingeRubbing the fish inside and out with salt two hours ahead firms the flesh and draws out surface moisture, so the coating adheres and the fish does not collapse in the pan. Rinse the salt off and dry the fish thoroughly before egging, or the crust will steam rather than crisp.
• Boiling lardThe book gives no temperature; "boiling" here means fat hot enough to shimmer and hiss the moment the fish goes in, which in modern terms is somewhere in the region of 350-375F. Lard was the usual frying fat and gives good flavour; a neutral oil works, and butter alone does not.
• "Egg and bread-crumbs"Beaten whole egg, then dry white crumbs — not the coarse panko style, but fine crumbs from stale bread. A light dusting of seasoned flour before the egg helps it grip a wet-skinned fish.
• TimingFive to ten minutes, as the recipe says, according to size — the shorter end for small fish. The fish is done when the flesh lifts cleanly from the backbone at the thickest point; overcooked flatfish goes cottony very quickly.
• The fish itselfEuropean flounder is the intended species, but any small whole flatfish — dab, plaice, sole, or American winter flounder — behaves the same. Ask for it gutted, trimmed and, if you prefer, with the dark skin off.
• Crisped parsleyWhole sprigs of flat or curly parsley, dried completely, dropped into the same hot fat for a few seconds until they stop sputtering. Wet parsley in hot lard spits violently; dry it properly first.
• "Dish on a hot napkin"A folded linen cloth on the serving plate absorbs draining fat. A rack or paper towel does the job now, though the napkin does keep the fish hotter at table.
• YieldOne flounder per person, two if they are small. The book gives no quantity; it costs the fish individually, from 1d. to 3d. each.