Marinated Anchovies
Not too long ago, I had this delicious starter at a fish restaurant in Trani in Puglia. It is the kind of raw fish dish – not unlike a ceviche – you can find anywhere in Italy, but this one was spoiled by too much salt. Therefore I had to conquer my reluctance to gut fish and make the anchovies myself. And they were so good I will not hesitate to do it again and share the recipe.
Ingredients
250 g fresh anchovies
1 lemon juice
1 clove of garlic
50 ml olive oil,
parsley, salt, pepper
Preparation
Peel and slice the garlic and soak it in lemon juice
Cut off the fish heads and remove bones and bowels
Drain the lemon juice, discard the garlic and mix with olive oil, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper
Pour the lemon marinate over the fish and leave them in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Marinated anchovies are served with a squeeze of lemon and a nice bread to mop up the juices.
Have a try with apple winegar instead of lemon juice. It works the same but the level of acidity is smoother which helps the taste of the fish.
Great tip. I’d have thought it would have a more chemical taste, but I give it a go, as the acidity is hard to balance correctly.
one of my favourite dishes. full of flavour – I can taste them as I’m writing.
I like them too, such a simple and clean taste:)
I love that you are posting recipes, now I can have a taste of Italy at home.
Thanks – I hope it works:)
Absolutely must give this a go. Thanks.
Please do. It’s a lot easier than I imagined from having them served in restaurants.
The “Cut off the fish heads and remove bones and bowels” was glossed over too quickly for me to have a go at this!
I practiced for years, before I decided to get over my squeamishness. And these fish are so tiny, it’s like pulling the head and guts off a prawn.