Take the fish, wash it, make a slit from under his mouth down to the exit from his digestive tract and remove the guys, reserving the roe if you're so inclined.
Wash out the cavity and then remove the fillets by pushing a sharp thin knife in turn behind his head, turn the knife and run it down the backbone. Repeat on the other side.
Clean up the fillets by removing the flesh that was around the gut cavity and if you're really squeamish of bones, run a v-shaped groove down the centre of each fillet. There will still be a few hairline bones, but these are perfectly palatable.
Make a few slashes on the skin side and fry in butter, skin side down - the slashes will prevent the fillets from curling up. Switch the heat off and flip the fillets over, cooking the soft flesh in the residual heat.
Meanwhile, make up your accompaniment ...
- Scrambled eggs.
- Mustard sauce and serve with a leafy green salad.
- Yoghurt and horseradish sauce with shredded red cabbage.
- Capers, lemon juice and mixed olives.
Your call ...
