Boneless Crucian Carp Fried in a Pan

The name promises more than actually happens, and it's worth saying honestly right away: the bones don't disappear from crucian carp. They fry all the way through and stop being felt — that's a different thing, and it's the second one that's achievable here.

A knife does this, not the pan. Frequent diagonal cuts every centimeter on both sides slice the small bones into short segments, and hot oil brings them to a state where they crumble between your teeth. The diagonal isn't for looks: at an angle the cut is longer than a straight crosswise one and severs more bones over the same slit.

There's no seasoning in the recipe at all — just salt. That's not a simplification: fried crucian carp with a crisp crust has a flavor of its own, which any fish seasoning overpowers with the very first pinch.

The small bones get notched with a knife here rather than removed. Boneless crucian carp baked in sour cream finishes the same fish in the oven, and how to fry a whole carp deliciously carries the trick over to a bigger fish.

Caloric content: 130kcal

Notes

• Make the cuts diagonal, not crosswise. At an angle to the backbone the cut is longer and crosses more bones. Crosswise cuts work too, just worse.
• The spacing is one centimeter, no more. At two centimeters, whole bones remain between the cuts, and those are exactly the ones you'll bite into.
• The technique works on fish up to the width of a palm. A large crucian carp has thicker bones, and frying them all the way through doesn't work — that calls for filleting instead.
• Pour oil up to halfway up the fish's side. Too shallow, and the cuts won't fry through — only the surface will.
• Flip it only once. And only once the crust has already set. Fish that's prodded falls apart along the cuts.

Questions and Answers

Do the bones really disappear?

No. They fry through and stop being felt — the taste effect is the same, but formally the bones stay in place.

How far apart should the cuts be?

About a centimeter apart, diagonally, on both sides, down to the backbone.

Why is there only salt in the recipe?

So as not to overpower the flavor of the fish itself. Fried crucian carp with a crust is distinctive enough on its own, and fish seasoning covers it completely.

Which crucian carp works best?

A small one, no wider than a palm. Larger ones have thicker bones, and the technique works worse on them.

Recipe and step-by-step photos — kolizhanka.net.ua.