An anchovy takes two minutes to cook; every mistake in this recipe comes from cooking it longer. Cornmeal gives a crisper crust than wheat flour and does not cling to the fish. The oil has to be properly hot too, because in warm oil the anchovy soaks it up.
Ingredients
For the fish
To serve
Method
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Clean the anchovies
Remove the heads and insides; leave the backbone if you like. Wash and drain them.
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Dry them
Dry them thoroughly with kitchen paper; flour will not stick to a wet anchovy and the oil will spit.
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Flour them
Mix the cornmeal with the salt, turn the anchovies in it and shake off the excess.
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Heat the oil
Heat the oil properly in the pan. A pinch of flour should sizzle the moment it goes in.
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Fry
Fry them without crowding the pan, 90 seconds a side.
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Drain
Transfer to kitchen paper and serve at once with lemon and rocket.
Tips
- Do not flour the anchovies before drying them; wet fish spits in the oil and the coating falls off.
- Do not crowd the pan, or the oil cools and the anchovies soak it up.
- Do not fry for more than two minutes; the anchovy dries out and turns papery.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.