Рецепт Alici indorate e fritte (Fried Fresh Anchovies)
When they think of anchovies, most people, at least here in the US, think of salt-cured anchovy fillets packed in oil. If you’re a bit more au fait with Italian cookery, you may even know about anchovies sotto sale, or packed in salt. You may also know cured anchovies are a fantastic way to add some intense umami to your cooking, whether or not you’re cooking seafood. But did you know that fresh anchovies are a thing in Italian cooking, and that they make for some excellent eating? They can be hard to find (see Notes below), but fresh anchovies are well worth seeking out.
In this Neapolitan recipe, fresh anchovies are cleaned and simply battered by dipping them in flour and then in egg, and then quickly fried in olive oil until golden brown on each side. It’s a method very much like the one for making Angelina’s fried vegetables, but being a fish dish, without the grated cheese often added to the egg.
The only slightly tricky part of this simple dish is cleaning the anchovies, so we’ve given you step-by-step illustrations to show you the way. It can be a bit awkward at first, as whole anchovies are small and slippery, but with a little practice, you’ll be churning them out in no time.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
1 kilo (2 lbs) fresh anchovies
White flour, q.b.
4-6 eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges or slices
Directions
If you’re fresh anchovies are frozen, let them thaw out completely. This can be done fairly quickly by immersing them in tepid water. Drain them entirely.
Now take an anchovy and slit it horizontally down the belly like so:
Cut of the head, then with your fingers, gently open the two sides of the fish up to expose little ‘vein’ (actually the viscera) and backbone, like so:
Scrap out the vein, then with the help of your paring knife, very gingerly detach the backbone from the fish, slipping the knife under the bone to detach it, then using it to hold down the fillets while you lift the bone away from the fillets with your fingers, taking care to avoid separating the two fillets from each other. (If they do separate, it’s no real problem, but it will be a bit less pretty.)
You can rinse the fillet off so it’s perfectly clean if you like, then pat them dry. Keep going until you’ve cleaned all your fillets.
Lay out the flour and seasoned egg in separate bowls and pour enough oil in a skillet to come up about 2cm (3/4 inch) or so up the sides. Heat the oil until it’s quite hot but not yet smoking.
Now, using the tail as a ‘handle’, dredge each anchovy in the flour and then in the egg, then place it gently in the hot oil. Repeat with more fillets until the skillet is full, but not crowded, with fresh anchovies. Fry on both sides until nice and golden brown, adjusting the flame if you need to to maintain the oil at a hot but not smoking hot temperature. The oil should bubble vigorously around the edges of the fresh anchovies like so:
Once golden brown, remove the anchovies to a platter lined with paper towels or, even better, a baking rack, to dry off a bit.
Just as soon as you’ve fried all your anchovies, arrange them on a serving platter, season them generously with salt, and serve them right away with lemon wedges or slices on the side.
Notes on Fresh Anchovies
Ideally, you should eat these fried fresh anchovies while they’re still nice and hot. As the Neapolitans say frijenno magnannl—”fry and eat!” But if you really must make these ahead, they can be re-heated in in a moderate oven (180C/350F) for 15 minutes or so. Don’t salt them, however, until just before you’re ready to eat, or they’ll get soggy.
Very small anchovies can be fried whole, which obviously makes the whole dish much easier. In this case, the anchovies are more typically dredged in flour only seasoned with salt before frying, in the manner of a fritto misto di mare. And, indeed, fried whole anchovies can very easily be part of a fritto misto. Besides frying, fresh anchovies can be made a number of different ways. To my mind, they are particularly lovely lightly poached and dressed with the same lemon and parsley sauce you would use on baccalà. Let the whole anchovies simmer gently for about 2-3 minutes, then drain well. Let them cool off a bit and, as soon as they are cool enough to hand, filleted them with your hands. Be careful, since once boiled fresh anchovies are liable to break apart quite easily.
Alici dorate e fritte (Batter-Fried Fresh Anchovies)
Ingredients
- 1 kilo (2 lbs) fresh anchovies
- White flour, q.b.
- 4-6 eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon wedges or slices
Instructions
If you're fresh anchovies are frozen, let them thaw out completely. This can be done fairly quickly by immersing them in tepid water. Drain them entirely.
Now take an anchovy and slit it horizontally down the belly. Cut off the head, then with your fingers, gently open the two sides of the fish up to expose little 'vein' (actually the viscera) and backbone.
Scrape out the vein, then with the help of your paring knife, very gingerly detach the backbone from the fish, slipping the knife under the bone to detach it, then using it to hold down the fillets while you lift the bone away from the fillets with your fingers, taking care to avoid separating the two fillets from each other. (If they do separate, it's no real problem, but it will be a bit less pretty.) Stop when you get to the tail. Cut the backbone off just below the tail, keeping the tail attached to the two fillets.
You can rinse the fillet off so it's perfectly clean if you like. Keep going until you've cleaned all your fillets.
Lay out the flour and seasoned egg in separate bowls and pour enough oil in a skillet to come up about 2cm (3/4 inch) up the sides. Heat the oil until it's quite hot but not yet smoking.
Now, using the tail as a 'handle', dredge each anchovy in the flour, then in the egg, then place it gently in the hot oil. Repeat with more fillets until the skillet is full, but not crowded, with fresh anchovies. Fry on both sides until nice and golden brown, adjusting the flame if you need to to maintain the oil at a hot but not smoking hot temperature. The oil should bubble vigorously around the edges of the fresh anchovies.
Once golden brown, remove the anchovies to a platter lined with paper towels or, even better, a baking rack, to dry off a bit.
Just as soon as you've fried all your anchovies, arrange them on a serving platter, season generously with salt, and serve them right away with lemon wedges on the side.
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http://memoriediangelina.com/2016/03/18/fresh-anchovies/
(c) Frank Fariello
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