Fritto misto — small pieces of seafood, vegetables, and sometimes meat dipped in a light batter or simply dusted with flour, fried until golden — is the Italian expression of the principle that correctly fried food is not oily. The keys: dry ingredients, hot oil at the correct temperature, small batches, and immediate service. Hazan's Italian fry is lighter than French beignet batter and less complicated than Japanese tempura — flour-only for delicate ingredients, egg-and-breadcrumb (panatura) for more substantial pieces.
- **Flour-only fry:** The lightest possible coating — dust, shake off excess, fry. Applies to anchovies, whitebait, zucchini flowers, sage leaves. - **The egg-and-breadcrumb (panatura):** Flour → beaten egg → breadcrumbs. The standard for cutlets, fish fillets, mozzarella. The breadcrumb layer must be pressed firmly onto the surface — Hazan's standard. - **Oil temperature:** 175–180°C throughout. Monitor and maintain — adding ingredients drops the temperature; frying in small batches allows it to recover. - **Zucchini flowers:** Hazan's battered zucchini flower technique — a simple batter of flour, water, and salt. The flower is dipped and fried immediately. The delicate interior must not overcook.
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