Kingfish Saute, Danois

A Danish-style pan-fried fish with a browned butter, parsley and lemon sauce. The technique is straightforward; most of what needs translating is the fish itself and the anchovy pantry.

• What "kingfish" means hereIn American cookbooks of this period kingfish usually means the northern kingfish or king whiting (Menticirrhus saxatilis), a small Atlantic panfish sold whole at about a pound or two. It is not the large king mackerel of Gulf fish markets. Any firm-fleshed whole fish of 1.5 lb — whiting, small sea bass, branzino, red snapper — behaves the same way.},{"label":""}
• Splitting the fish"Split open through front, remove spinal bones" is butterflying from the belly: open the fish along the belly cavity, snip the backbone free at both ends and lift it out, leaving the two fillets joined at the back skin. A fishmonger will do this if asked for a butterflied whole fish, head off.
• The milk and flourThe milk is a binder, not a marinade — a light brush is enough, then flour immediately and cook. If the floured fish sits, the coating turns pasty and will not crisp.
• Oven temperatureFilippini gives none. Use 400°F; the fish is already cooked through after ten minutes in the pan, and the oven is only there to finish the thickest part and hold the fish while the sauce is made. Ten minutes is generous for a butterflied 1.5 lb fish — check at five, and pull it at 130–135°F at the thickest point.
• Butter quantitiesHalf an ounce of butter is one tablespoon. One and a half tablespoons of butter for two whole fish is meagre by modern practice; a large pan will want three or four, or a mix of butter and oil to keep it from burning before the five minutes are up.
• The hinge: the browned butterEverything depends on taking the butter to noisette — nut brown, foaming, smelling of toast — and no further. Add the parsley and lemon juice off the heat or the moment the colour is right; the acid stops the browning. Black butter is bitter and cannot be rescued.
• Anchovy essenceA Victorian and Edwardian bottled anchovy sauce, thin and salty. Anchovy paste from a tube, thinned with a little water, is the closest thing on a modern shelf; use about half a teaspoon and taste before adding salt anywhere else.
• "A sound lemon"Simply an unblemished one — the phrase reflects a period when fruit arrived in variable condition.
• YieldTwo fish of 1.5 lb each serve four as a main course, or two generously. The twelve anchovy fillets are three per person and are meant to be eaten with the fish, not merely as garnish.