Bones_ Recipes, History, and Lore - Jennifer McLagan [94]
2. Using a flexible knife, make the first cut behind the gill flap of each fish, to separate the flesh from the head. Then cut down along the top of the fish until your knife hits the rib bones; keeping your knife against these bones, slice down the length of the fish to remove the fillet, peeling back the flesh. Turn the fish over and repeat on the other side. Chop off the head and tail (reserve for stock, if desired) then cut the backbones in half. Cover and refrigerate the fillets for another dish.
3. Heat 4 cups (1 l) vegetable oil in a deep fryer or a large deep saucepan until it reaches 375°F (190°C). Add a few bones at a time and fry until crisp and lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot or at room temperature.
4. The first bite might take a leap of faith but, trust me, they’re delicious.
FISH BONE LINGUISTICS
A fish bone is a bone is a bone, depending on what language is being spoken. Unlike English, many other languages from Europe to South India have one word for a fish bone and another for animal and bird bones. In France, when I referred to fish bones as les os, I was politely corrected. French fish bones are les arêtes.
Yet languages are complicated and littered with linguistic booby traps for the unsuspecting. When I was serving the Roast Monkfish (page 186) to my French friend François, I was careful to refer to the fish’s grande arête. Immediately he corrected me. “Ce n’est pas une arête, c’est un os.” It seems that the monkfish is not only an exception when categorizing fish, its bones, at least in France, are an exception too.
English has its fish bone quirks too. Whalebone, the flexible, elastic material that forms the upper jawbone of baleen whales, is really a type of horn. Whales use it to filter their food, but for many of us it is linked to underwear. Since Elizabethan times, whalebone has been used to stiffen dresses, collars, and, most notably, corsets. It is extremely flexible along its length, as well as from side to side, which is why it was so popular in the manufacture of corsets and umbrellas. By the early twentieth century, however, the price of whalebone had become so prohibitive that it was often recycled from discarded corsets and old umbrellas. Eventually whalebone was replaced by the cheaper alternatives of flexible steel and heavy-duty plastic. Corsets made today for the fashion, costume, and fetish markets no longer contain whalebone, although the term boning is still used to describe their shaping.
The flexibility of whalebone made it popular with medieval knights, but they weren’t wearing corsets. The plumes on their tournament helmets were not always feather, but instead whalebone crafted to resemble plumes. The flexibility and strength of these bone plumes helped deflect their opponent’s blows.
Whalebone may not be true bone, but fish scales are. Fish use them as armor. Scales cover the fish in an overlapping flexible shield. Most of these protective scales are transparent, but some are tiny mirrors, which reflect the light. It is these scales that attract our attention in the fish market, but they perform exactly the opposite role when the fish is alive. Their reflective qualities render the fish difficult to see, effectively camouflaging it against any predators.
Game
The savvy cook knows that game on the bone has many benefits. A rack of venison, for example, comes with its own built-in roasting rack. And those bones help protect the lean meat while adding flavor. Moreover, the bones enhance