The fish is cleaned well, washed and portioned. You can leave the fish whole, only if it is small - if it is bigger it does not fry well, it must be portioned.

Then salt it well on all sides and leave for 10-15 minutes.

Put a pan with a little oil in it on the fire, to heat well.

Put the cornmeal in a plate and put the fish through it, to be well covered on all sides.

Put the fish pieces in the pan to fry. The basic rule when frying the fish is to leave it for 15-20 minutes without starting to turn it or move it. Otherwise it breaks and does not fry evenly. The fire should be medium, and the pan should not be covered with a lid - I usually put a sieve on it to prevent the oil from jumping.

When it has browned well on one side, turn it on the other and leave it again until it browns on this side as well.

When it is ready, take it out on a plate and let it cool for about 10 minutes. During this time, the tomato sauce is made.

Onions are cleaned, washed and cut into small pieces. Put it in a pan with a little oil and cook until lightly browned.

Then add the finely chopped tomatoes, mix and let it boil for about 10 minutes. Then season with salt, turn off the heat and only now add the crushed garlic. If you put it when the sauce boils, it loses its aroma and qualities. Mix well, you can pass it through a blender or use as it is.

The fish is served with tomato sauce and optional polenta.

It is a simple, peasant and very tasty food.

Good appetite!