Acciughe ripiene fritte
Ligurian fried anchovies with a greens-and-bread filling
A fresh anchovy is a small, silvery fish, far removed from the intensely salty fillets sold in tins. Along the Ligurian coast, cooks open the fish like little books and fill them before frying or baking. The crisp shell gives way to tender fish and a savory center.
Household fillings vary: some lean on bread and fish, others on greens, and some add local fresh cheese. In this fried preparation, chard, parsley, garlic, and Parmigiano make a savory stuffing, held between two butterflied anchovies and sealed in a light breadcrumb coat.
They are best eaten as soon as they leave the oil, while the crumbs still crackle.
Ingredients
For the anchovies and filling
- 36 large (about 800 g whole)very fresh anchovies, heads, guts, and backbones removed, butterflied with tails attached (see note)
- 100 gSwiss chard leaves, tough ribs removed
- 50 gstale crustless bread
- 60 ml(¼ cup)milk, or enough to soften the bread
- 25 gfinely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1small garlic clove, finely chopped
- 8 g(about 2 tbsp)finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1large egg
- fine salt
For coating and frying
- 50 gall-purpose flour
- 2large eggs, beaten
- 100 gfine dry breadcrumbs
- extra-virgin olive oil, enough for 1.5 cm (about ½ inch) depth in a wide pan
Kitchen notes
- Fresh anchovies
- These must be whole fresh fish, not salt-cured or canned anchovy fillets. Ask a good fishmonger or seafood market for large fresh anchovies and, if possible, have them cleaned and butterflied. Sardines have a different flavor and texture.
- Filling
- Ligurian households use several fillings and both baked and fried methods. The chard-and-bread filling should be soft enough to spoon and dry enough to stay between the fish.
Method
Ready the fish
- If the fishmonger has not done it, pull off each head with the entrails, open the belly with a fingertip, and gently lift out the backbone while leaving the tail attached. Rinse briefly in cold water and dry thoroughly. Set aside four of the smaller anchovies for the filling; keep the remaining 32 in matched pairs.
Make the filling
- Blanch the chard in boiling salted water just until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain, cool, and squeeze it very dry, then chop finely. Soak the bread in the milk until soft and squeeze out excess liquid. Finely chop the four reserved anchovies. Mix them with the chard, bread, Parmigiano, garlic, parsley, and one egg. Season lightly with salt. The filling should hold together in a soft mound, not run or drip.
Fill and coat
- Lay 16 anchovies open, skin-side down. Place a small spoonful of filling on each, leaving the edges clear; set a second anchovy on top, skin-side up, and press gently to make 16 compact pairs. Put the flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes. Carefully coat each pair in flour, then egg, then crumbs, pressing only enough to seal the edges without squeezing out the filling.
Fry and serve
- Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan to about 350°F (175°C); a breadcrumb should sizzle promptly without darkening at once. Fry the pairs in batches without crowding, turning once, about 2–3 minutes per side, until evenly golden, crisp, and cooked through. Let the oil return to temperature between batches. Drain briefly on a rack or paper towels, salt very lightly, and serve at once.