Fritto Misto di Pesce

Fritto misto—a preparation of crisp, deep-fried seafood and vegetables—is found all over Italy. This grand “mixed fry,” a well-documented menu item of the Italian bourgeois in the seventeenth century, often included—in addition to meat—fish and vegetables, pastries, cheeses, and sweets. The mixture of foods changes depending on region and availability of ingredients; in Roman, Piemontese, and Lombardian versions, for example, offal is a common element.

The key to this dish is