Cironka with garlic and vinegar

Method

1. Pass the strings of dried fish briefly over a gas flame, or press them into a hot dry pan, turning until the skin blisters and smells toasted. This is the step that opens up everything that follows.
2. Drop them into a bowl of very hot water and leave for fifteen to twenty minutes, until they have swelled and softened.
3. Pull off the heads, open each fish along the belly, strip out the innards and the dark line against the backbone, then peel away the skin. If they taste very salty, change the water and soak them again.
4. If any are still stiff, simmer them in fresh hot water for three or four minutes. Drain in a colander and let them steam dry for a few minutes; a wet fish will not take the dressing.
5. Lay them in a shallow dish in a single layer and scatter over the garlic, pepper flakes, mint and parsley.
6. Pour on the oil, then the vinegar, and turn everything over gently with your hands so the fish do not break up. Grind on black pepper, and taste before you reach for salt — the fish carry their own.
7. Leave for half an hour at room temperature so the garlic and vinegar work into the flesh, then serve with bread.