Anchovy
aficionados wouldn't think of pulling the ring to open a can of
just any fish fillets. Most anchovies available at local stores
are packed in olive or soybean oil. But the best, such as Agostino
Recca of Sicily, are packed in salt and sold by the pound
or in 1.5-pound tins at Italian and specialty markets.
"There's
an enormous difference between the little ones packed in oil and
the slightly larger, salted anchovies," says chef Peter Pastan,
owner of Obelisk near Dupont Circle. One of Pastan's favorite
sandwiches is grilled duck and anchovy with arugula and grilled
red bell pepper on sourdough bread.
The
texture of salted anchovies is firm; those packed in oil tend
to be mushy. Says Pastan: "The flavor is more complex, deeper,
earthy, more oceanic."
These
salted favorites of countries that touch the Mediterranean Sea
do take a few minutes to prepare. And instructions are not provided
on the tin. We turned to Italian author and cooking teacher Marcella
Hazan who covers the topic in her book "Marcella Cucina" (Harper
Collins, 1997).
Hazan
recommends: "You needn't buy more than a 1/4 pound at a time,
which you will take home, rinse, bone and keep under good olive
oil until you need them. You may discover that served on buttered
crusty bread they make one of the world's most satisfying snacks,
and then you will want to buy a larger quantity."
Here
is how to prepare them:
1.
One by one, hold the anchovies under cold, running water, rinsing
off the salt.
2.
Lay an anchovy down on a washable work surface, grasp it by the
tail end and use a small paring knife to scrape off the thin,
silver skin, going from the tail toward the head. Turn it over
and do the other side. If the anchovy has a small fin at the top
of its back, remove it, pulling away with it the tiny bones attached.
3.
Insert your thumbnail into the end of the anchovy where the head
used to be and scrape along the spine to open the anchovy completely
flat, exposing the spine. Pinch through the spine at the tail
and pull it away, thus producing two spineless fillets. Most Italians
would not be bothered by the small loose bones that may remain.
4.
With the paring knife, scrape away the intestines, if any.
5.
When all the anchovies are done, rinse the fillets under cold
running water, then pat dry.
6.
Choose a rectangular glass or ceramic container that can accommodate
the fillets lying flat. Smear the bottom with olive oil, cover
with a layer of the fillets, pour olive oil over these, and then
continue in the same manner using up all the fillets. The top
layer must be fully under oil. Wrap the container with plastic
wrap and refrigerate. The anchovies are most delicious just at
this moment, but they will keep quite well for up to 2 weeks.
Bring to room temperature before serving.
