1 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 to 2 1/2 pounds small fish such as rouget, cleaned, scaled and heads removed

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a small saucepan, combine the garlic, mint and vinegar, and bring just to boil over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to below a simmer and leave the aromatics to steep in the vinegar.

Spread the flour on a plate and dredge the fish lightly in it. In a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil over medium high heat until smoking. Add the fish in batches and cook, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Discard the oil and wipe out the pan. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of the olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the fish, in batches, and cook, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Strain the vinegar into a small bowl, reserving the garlic and mint. Layer the fish on a glass or ceramic dish just large enough to hold them, distributing the reserved garlic and mint over them. Combine the warm vinegar and the warmed oil, and pour over the fish.

Cover the dish and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.

(Mario Batali is the award-winning chef behind twenty-four restaurants including Eataly, DelPosto, and his flagship Greenwich Village enoteca, Babbo. In this column, Mario answers questions submitted via social media and by people he encounters daily in Downtown Manhattan. Keep asking!)