Fried Sardines with Lemon

1. 1Rinse the sardines inside and out and dry them extremely well on kitchen paper, including the cavity. Wet fish spits violently in hot oil and the coating slides straight off.
2. 2Mix the flour, semolina, salt, pepper and paprika in a wide dish.
3. 3Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat to about 180°C. Test it with a pinch of flour: it should sizzle immediately and float, not sink or smoke.
4. 4Working in batches, dredge each sardine in the flour, shaking off the excess firmly. Coat them one at a time as they go into the pan — flour them all in advance and the coating turns pasty.
5. 5Fry for 2–3 minutes a side, depending on size, until deep golden and crisp. Don't crowd the pan; more than 4 or 5 at once drops the oil temperature and they absorb it instead of crisping.
6. 6Lift onto a wire rack, not kitchen paper, and salt immediately while the surface is still hot enough for it to stick.
7. 7Squeeze over the juice of the whole lemon, scatter with parsley, and serve with the wedges. Eat them with your hands — the small bones along the spine are soft enough to eat, and the fish is best within minutes.

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