On Food and Cooking

Bone the bonito. Pound together
pennyroyal, cumin, pepper, mint, nuts, and
honey. Stuff the fish with this mixture and
sew it up. Wrap the fish in paper and place
it in a covered pan over steam. Season with
oil, reduced wine, and fermented fish
paste.
— Apicius, first few centuries CE
Frying Fish is fried in hot metal pans in two
different ways: with just enough oil to
lubricate the fish surface in contact with the
pan, or with enough oil to surround and cover
most or all of the fish. Either way, the fish is
exposed to temperatures sufficient to dry out
and brown its surfaces, and therefore develops
a contrastingly crisp outside and
characteristic, rich aroma. Because high heat
also makes the lean flesh fibrous and chewy,
fish to be fried is often given a protective
coating of starchy and/or proteinaceous
material, so that the coating can crisp while
the fish remains moist. Common coatings