Fish & seafood
Hamsi tava (Turkish fried anchovies)
A winter treat from the Black Sea: fresh anchovies coated in cornmeal and fried in a pan until crisp, with lemon and red onion.
- 40 min25 prep · 15 cook
- EasyDifficulty
- 390 kcalper serving
Ingredients
4 servings
- Fresh anchovies800 g
- Fine cornmeal100 g
- Vegetable oil150 ml
- Lemon1
- Red onion1
- Chopped parsley3 tbsp
- Saltto taste
Missing something? Ingredients with × can be left out.
Steps
- 1
Remove the heads and guts of the anchovies and open them out like a book, pulling out the backbone.
- 2
Rinse, drain well and season with salt.
- 3
Toss them in the cornmeal and shake off the excess.
- 4
Arrange them in a circle in a hot oiled pan, tails to the centre, and fry until golden underneath.
- 5
Flip the whole circle with a plate, as for an omelette, and fry the other side.
- 6
Serve hot with lemon wedges, thin red onion slices and parsley.
Tips and questions
- Do I have to bone the anchovies?
- It is traditional and makes them nicer to eat, but small anchovies can be fried whole once gutted.
- Can I use wheat flour instead of cornmeal?
- Yes, but cornmeal gives the typical crunch and golden colour of the Black Sea version.
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