things wot i made then ate: shallow-fried flounder

The batter is one egg diluted with water. Spices of choice added in abundance, more than you might imagine. It will not be possible to use all of the batter. The batter also includes flour added in increments and no more than sufficient to form a thin viscosity, otherwise the cooked result will be overbearing clunky coating.

There are two uses for the flour. The fish is first coated with a light dusting so that the batter adheres. Without the initial coating, the batter will tend to fall away from the fried fish. So that same flour that is used to coat the fish before being dipped in batter is then added directly to the batter to thicken it immediately before the fish is dropped into hot oil. So the dusted fish must rest there for no more than 30 seconds while this flour addition is happening. Nothing good can come of the dusted fish sitting there unattended for any longer than absolutely necessary. Otherwise, go ahead and waste a little flour by preparing both the batter and the initial dusting plate in advance, see if I care. It's how they would have you do it in school.

Now, this is not how they would have you do it in school: the fish is frozen. It is coated with batter and dropped into hot oil while still frozen. The fish will thaw and cook in the time it takes for the batter coating to brown. The batter coating tends to protect the fish and slow the process of cooking relative to uncoated fish filets. These filets are quite thin. Daring, eh? The result is perfectly cooked light flaky fish.

The oil is heated to 375℉ / 190℃ with the understanding that the temperature will drop immediately to at least 350℉ / 175℃, often more, depending on the size and number of fish filets.

If the filets are thick and still frozen, then the fish will take slightly longer. In that case, lower the temperature of the oil slightly so that both batter and fish finish simultaneously, mindful it will drop further on its own, how much so again depends on the size and number of fish and the amount of oil.