Fried Anchovies

This week I bring you a recipe that I do not cook very often but, from time to time, it jumps into our menu as a guilty whim: Fried Anchovies. I generally prepare fish in the oven or on the grill, however, sometimes you just crave for a fried version of your fish.

For this recipe, instead of using breadcrumbs, I always make a mixture of chickpea flour and polenta so that the fish looks and tastes crispier and less greasy.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg. Filleted anchovies.

• 100 g. Chickpea flour.

• 50 g. Polenta.

• Sal.

• Olive oil.

• 1 lemon.

Steps to follow:

• Clean and fillet the anchovies. If you are not able to do this job, ask at the fishmonger.

• Heat a frying pan over medium / high heat with olive oil.

• Coat the anchovies with the mixture of chickpea flour and polenta.

• When the oil gets very hot (but not to the point it starts to be smokey), add the anchovies and let them fry for 1 or 2 minutes (maximum).

• Serve with a sliced ​​lemon and squeeze on top.

Options: You can serve this dish with a salad or some Padrón peppers, for example. Most times, I also serve it with a yogurt and mustard sauce instead of lemon.

Pickled Anchovies

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Today I bring you an extraordinarily simple and delicious snack recipe: Pickled anchovies. In this case, I am sharing with you a piece of family culinary wisdom as the recipe is the one my father –the expert sailor of the family– uses whenever he prepares anchovies at home.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg. Anchovies.

• 1 glass of wine vinegar.

• 2 glasses of water.

• 1 handful of salt.

• 2 large garlic cloves.

• 1 bunch of parsley.

• AOVE

Steps to follow:

• Carefully clean the anchovies to separate the two fillets without breaking them. If you are not very handy cleaning fish, ask the fishmonger to do it for you.

• Place each fillet in line and layered in a container with a lid.

• Pour in salt, vinegar and water and let it macerate for 4 hours.

• After this time, remove the fish from the liquid and rinse it to remove the excess of vinegar and salt.

• After draining, place it back in a container with a lid along with layers of chopped parsley, sliced ​​garlic and cover with AOVE.

• Let it rest in the fridge for a minimum of 5 days so that it absorbs all the flavour.

• You can serve them in salads, toasts or as a snack with a good bread.

Notes: Note 1: You must freeze the anchovies for a minimum of 5 days (before pickling) in order to avoid anisakis poisoning. Note 2: Remember to remove them from the fridge at least an hour before consuming so that the AOVE (which will be completely solidified) becomes liquid again.