Visiting Italy?Anchovies, this is the season.
Stuffed anchovies baked or stuffed anchovies fried ? Two recipes, tied for first as goodness. One belongs to the Genoese tradition, the other to our family tradition. Two way of cooking: one light, the other rich. Two fillings: one full-bodied, the other full-green. In the uncertainty which to post, since this is the season and anchovies must be eaten, I put both of them together, one by one.
Let’s start with the first one: the stuffed anchovies baked . They are those of the Genoese tradition: two barbed anchovies open like a book that contain a filling based on bread soaked in milk, chopped anchovies and parsley. They are cooked in the oven after being sprinkled with oil and breadcrumbs, quickly because the anchovy cooks in a moment otherwise they dry.
I know that outside the Mediterranean Sea it is quite difficult to find fresh anchovies. Usually anchovies can be found in jars, preserved under oil or salt. But this recipe is very good also made with sardines. They are a fatter fish, so I suggest to limit the oil on top before baking. But the result will be incredibly good as well. By the way also here in the Riviera in the absence of anchovies sardines is a common substitution.
Stuffed anchovies baked
Ingredients
- 1,2 kg of very fresh anchovies
- 100 g of bread crumbs (the inner sponge of the bread)
- 2 eggs
- 1 glass of milk
- 1/2 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tufts of parsley
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped marjoram
- breadcrumbs, q.b.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Instructions
- Clean the anchovies by removing the head and entrails and open them as a book by removing the bone. Rinse them and leave them to dry on a sheet of absorbent paper.
- Soak the bread in the milk.
- Chop garlic and parsley. Apart chop (not too finely) about ¼ of the anchovies.
- In a pan heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and fry the chopped garlic and parsley for a couple of minutes without getting them colored. Then add the chopped anchovies, stir for few seconds, remove immediately from the heat and let them cool.
- In a bowl, add the well-squeezed bread crumbs, the chopped anchovies, the Parmesan cheese, the finely chopped marjoram and the eggs. Mix well, add salt and a little pepper. The mixture must be solid enough to keep its shape: if it is too soft, add some breadcrumbs.
- Turn the oven to 350°F.
- Cover a pan with parchment paper. Spread a light layer of the oil and then distribute half of the anchovies (with the skin facing down). Using a teaspoon, spread a little filling on each anchovy. Cover each anchovy with another anchovy (with the skin facing upwards), then sprinkle with oil and finally sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
LINK LOVE:
Anchovies, a small fish, extremely easy to prepare. If you love this fish and its convenience in the kitchen, you can also try to cook Bagnun d’acciughe, and anchovies soup with fresh tomato and herbs, and Anchovies Cacciatore , where the fish is quickly stewed with rosemary and garlic.
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