Mirror carp fried as steaks in a pan

Mirror carp is the same fish as the common carp, only bred without a solid covering of scales: instead there are sparse large scales along its flanks, rather like little mirrors. Cleaning it is a job of one minute, and that is exactly why of all the carps it is the handiest one for the pan.

Its second advantage is size. A mirror carp is usually bigger than a common one, and the bigger the fish, the fewer small intermuscular bones it has in proportion to its meat. A steak from such a fish is eaten with a fork, without picking it apart.

The thickness of the steak is set exactly here: no more than two centimetres. A thicker piece will only be done in the middle by the time the crust has already gone dark, and that is the line beyond which home frying goes wrong. If your fish is a small one, it is better fried in pieces in cornmeal.

The same carp meets onions under a lid in pan-fried carp with onions, and cornmeal in carp fried in pieces with a crispy crust.

Caloric content: 240kcal

Notes

• A deep cast-iron pan. Cast iron holds its temperature when cold fish goes into it: in a thin pan the heat drops away and the steak starts to stew in its own juice instead of setting.
• The first side is fried uncovered, the second under a lid. The uncovered side gives the crust, the covered one cooks the middle through. Do it the other way round and you get a crust on one side only.
• Turn the heat down once the lid goes on. The steam inside raises the temperature, and at the same setting the underside will burn before the fish is done.
• The onion is fried after the fish, in the same oil. The fish juice and the flour from the breading are left in it — the onion soaks them up and becomes a separate part of the dish rather than a garnish.
• Do not throw the head away. On a carp it is the meatiest part after the back, and it is preferred to the backbone for broth.

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