If I net some anchovies, how to prepare them? Do they have tobe cleaned? The only recipes online assume canned

I’ve never worked with fresh anchovies before. but I want to. Also I want to preserve some with salt for later. Again, must I gut each one…? Are they safe to eat unprocessed? Please don’t laugh! I haven’t done this before. Thanks to all serious answers!

Hi..
you always have to gut a fish … just like a chicken … the anchovies you get in cans are fillets … the side of the fish stripped off the bones …

What do you mean "unprocessed’?..
raw, you mean? It depends upon where you catch them … are they to be from clean waters? … and I suppose they would be as safe as any raw fish.. (see Japanese cuisine: sushi) … I personally would not want to even try, but that is up to you…can you pickle raw fish, is that what you mean by preserving in salt? I think so … isn’t herring deli-style salted a little and packed in vinegar with spices, sometimes packed in additional sour cream?

I have seen Italian recipes for using them just like other fish… broiled or done in the pan with oil and fennel, unless I am mistaken, garnished with fresh fennel and sliced lemon …

I know this is not very authoritative, but I hope it is a start for you ..

My curiosity got the better of me:
I typed in "Italian Recipes for fresh anchovies" … these sites look ok:

* allrecipes.com …. the heading of the listing is: Italian Recipes – European – All Recipes (that is: the headline of the listing on Yahoo..)

* www.lifeinitaly.com …. has a picture of freshly caught fish

* italianfood.about.com …

Peace & Love

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2 Responses to If I net some anchovies, how to prepare them? Do they have tobe cleaned? The only recipes online assume canned

  1. francineleb says:

    I found this:
    One classic way of preserving anchovies is to wash the fresh fish, gut it (excuse the blunt language), and bury it in coarse sea salt. The idea is to use a sterile glass jar, make a layer of sea salt, a single layer of anchovies, another layer of sea salt, and so on. Be generous with the salt. I store the jar in the refrigerator. They’ll keep a year. To use the anchovies, you could soak them first, or merely rinse them, and then, to bone them. open them like a book, and lift out the bone. Starting with the tail, it should come out in one piece.
    References :
    http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/gourmetguide/web_lynnechat060401.html
    Also http://preserveless.blogspot.com/2007/03/glorious-stinky-anchovies_26.html

    http://fogcity.blogs.com/jen/2003/10/anchovies.html

  2. Darjeeling Snow says:

    Hi..
    you always have to gut a fish … just like a chicken … the anchovies you get in cans are fillets … the side of the fish stripped off the bones …

    What do you mean "unprocessed’?..
    raw, you mean? It depends upon where you catch them … are they to be from clean waters? … and I suppose they would be as safe as any raw fish.. (see Japanese cuisine: sushi) … I personally would not want to even try, but that is up to you…can you pickle raw fish, is that what you mean by preserving in salt? I think so … isn’t herring deli-style salted a little and packed in vinegar with spices, sometimes packed in additional sour cream?

    I have seen Italian recipes for using them just like other fish… broiled or done in the pan with oil and fennel, unless I am mistaken, garnished with fresh fennel and sliced lemon …

    I know this is not very authoritative, but I hope it is a start for you ..

    My curiosity got the better of me:
    I typed in "Italian Recipes for fresh anchovies" … these sites look ok:

    * allrecipes.com …. the heading of the listing is: Italian Recipes – European – All Recipes (that is: the headline of the listing on Yahoo..)

    * http://www.lifeinitaly.com …. has a picture of freshly caught fish

    * italianfood.about.com …

    Peace & Love
    References :