Fisherman’s Fried Fish (Frittura di Paranza)

If I had to bottle the sound of summer in Monte Argentario, it would be the song of cicadas whirring in the trees, the eerie echoing call of the enormous seagulls circling over the port, and the crunch of pine needles underfoot, fallen from the thick huddle of umbrella pines along the beach. If it was a scent, it would be the perfume of just-cut watermelon, combined with the waft of fritto, as you walk past someone’s kitchen, their windows wide open in an attempt to make the smell of deep frying fish escape.

This isn’t a dish that belongs strictly to this one place. You will find it anywhere along Italy’s long coast. It’s a dish synonymous with summer, when restaurants open along the beaches and offer one form or another of frittura di paranza (which is named after traditional coastal fishing boats and their nets of the same name).

The small fish used for frying can be spotted at the markets or at fishmongers labelled pesce per fritto (fish for frying) and seem to be simply the small, miniature versions of larger fish – no larger than the width of your palm – that might be thrown back into the water in most other places. I suggest using naturally smaller sized whole fish, such as anchovies and sardines, mixed with some fillets of larger fish such as cod, red mullet and mackerel. You can also add small, whole prawns (shrimp). When deep-fried, they become so beautifully crisp and crunchy on the outside, you can eat the whole thing – shell, head and all.