Carpe Frite du Sundgau

Ingredients

• 1.2–1.5 kg whole fresh carp, alive until preparation; killed, gutted, scaled, and portioned into darnes of 3–4 cm, or filleted and cut into large pieces
• 500 ml whole milk, for soaking
• 150 g plain flour, seasoned with fine salt, white pepper, and a pinch of paprika
• 2 litres sunflower or peanut oil, for deep-frying in a heavy cast-iron pot
• to taste fine salt, for seasoning immediately after frying
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• For the salade verte à la crème
• 1 head green lettuce, washed and dried
• 4 tbsp crème fraîche
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• to taste fine salt and white pepper
• To serve
• 100 g mayonnaise, served alongside

Method

1. 1
   Place the portioned carp pieces in a shallow dish and cover with the milk. Leave to soak for 30 minutes at cool room temperature. The milk draws out the muddy pond flavour that is the fish's one liability. Lift the pieces from the milk, drain well, and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels — the surface must be bone-dry before flouring.
2. 2
   Pour the oil into a heavy cast-iron pot to a depth sufficient to submerge the fish pieces completely. Heat to 180–185°C. To confirm the temperature without a thermometer, lower a small cube of bread into the oil: it must sizzle at once and turn golden within 30 seconds. Oil below this temperature will saturate the flour coating and produce a greasy result.
3. 3
   Season the flour with fine salt, white pepper, and a pinch of paprika. Dredge the dried carp pieces in the seasoned flour immediately before frying — not before — shaking off all excess. The coating must be thin and even: no egg wash, no breadcrumbs. This flour-only shell is the defining character of the dish.
4. 4
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Lower the floured pieces into the hot oil in batches, without crowding, and fry at 180–185°C for 6–8 minutes, maintaining the temperature throughout. The coating must become deeply golden and shatteringly crisp while the flesh inside remains moist and flaky. A pale or soft crust signals insufficient heat or overcrowding; a dry interior signals too long in the oil.
5. 5
   Lift the pieces from the oil and drain briefly on paper. Season immediately with fine salt while the crust is still searing hot. Transfer to a platter lined with a linen napkin to absorb residual oil. The crust should crackle audibly when pressed.
6. 6
   Whisk the crème fraîche and white wine vinegar (2 parts crème fraîche to 1 part vinegar) with salt and pepper to form the Sundgau dressing — no oil is added. Dress the green lettuce and toss gently. The dressing should coat the leaves lightly; taste for the balance of cream and acid.
7. 7
   Serve the fried carp at once, accompanied by the cream-dressed salad, a bowl of mayonnaise, and lemon wedges. No sauce, no garnish complexity: the simplicity of the accompaniments is the point.