Fried Anglerfish Fillet

Ingredients

• 1 Anglerfish
• Butter
• Chives or green onions
• Marjoram, fresh herbs

Method

Anglerfish is dense and sweet, which means it can handle aggressive heat without drying out — use that to your advantage. The filleting matters more than the cooking here, so take time with the knife work first.

Lay the fish belly-up. Insert a short, sharp blade tip-first just behind the anus, angling upward slightly, and draw toward the head with steady pressure rather than sawing. This angle lets the blade follow the abdominal cavity without breaching the organs. Once you reach the gills, stop. Remove the viscera by gently pulling each organ away from the body wall and cutting the connecting membranes cleanly. Make a shallow circular incision around the mouth on both sides — this separates the skin from the head. Now grip the loosened skin and pull it firmly toward the tail, using your knife only where it resists; you want broad, confident strokes, not tentative slicing. The skin should strip in two or three pulls. Once naked, flip the fish onto its back and filleting|fillet each side by running your blade along the backbone from head to tail, following the bone with the spine of the knife. You'll get two long fillets. Trim away the thin belly flaps and any remaining pin bones. Cut each fillet in half crosswise.

Pat the fillets dry — moisture is the enemy of crust. Heat a wide pan over medium-high heat, add a generous knob of butter, and let it foam. Lay the fillets in skin-side down (if skin remains) and leave them untouched for two minutes. The goal is searing|a golden, crisp exterior without overcooking the flesh beneath. Flip and cook the second side for ninety seconds. The flesh should feel just firm when pressed; it firms further off heat.

Lower the temperature to medium. Add fresh marjoram and chives to the pan, salt the fillets, and shake the pan gently to coat the fish in the herb-infused butter. Cover loosely and cook for four to five minutes — you're looking for the flesh to turn opaque all the way through and offer slight resistance to a fork. The butter will smell toasty and brown; this is butter-basting|basting, not burning. Serve the fillets directly onto warm plates with a spoonful of the brown butter and herbs over the top. Steamed potatoes or bitter greens are the move here — they cut the richness and catch every drop of the sauce.