Now, this should not be confused with the fish in Fish 'n' Chips. Without taking anything off the Anglo-Saxon speciality, here there is no heavy batter involved and in Italian restaurants this dish (frittura di pesce or fritto misto di mare) is normally served with fried vegetables and/or green leaves salad.

You may fry many different types of fish and seafood, my personal favourites are: sole (you may also try with other kind of flat fish, such as flounder, halibut, plaice, and turbot), mullet, baby squid, small prawns, baby cuttlefish, pilchards, sardines, whitebait, small octopus, codlings, and these tiny fish which in Romagna are called omini nudi, small naked men. The most important thing is that you either choose small fish and seafood of comparable size, or else you fry medium sized fish separately. And that the fish is extremely fresh.

Another very important point should be made with the oil: choose a good peanut or else a respectable olive oil, heat it well but be careful it does not reach the fuming point (in general you should reach 150-160 °C – the fuming point for olive oil is around 190 °C), change it frequently if you are frying big quantities of fish, dispose of it safely.

What you need (for 2 people):

approx. 400 gr. of mixed fish and seafood (see above)
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
lemon wedges to serve

How you do it:

Wash and clean the fish, taking care to scale them and to take off heads, tails and intestine, especially if you have squeamish guests at your table. For the smaller fish, it is really not worthwhile taking off the heads etc., which add flavour and crunchiness to the final result. For cuttlefish and squid, take off the head and discard the mouth and the interior bits. You may want to save the ink bags to make spaghetti or risotto with. Cut their bodies into rings. For the bigger fish, it is important to remove the scales with a pair of scissors.

Make sure the fish and the seafood is well dry and coat it with flour to which you have mixed a bit of salt and some pepper if you wish. Bring the oil to the correct temperature (if you do not have a cooking thermometer, you can throw in some bread crumbs and check that it goldens up nicely. Pat the fish and the rest of the seafood to eliminate excess flour and fry until golden and crunchy. Remove from the oil and let rest on absorbent paper to drain off the extra oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and serve hot with lemon wedges and a chilled bottle of dry white wine.