Marinated Anchovies with Lemon Juice
Alici Marinate
Recipe of the day (recipe courtesy of Mama Isa
Italian Engraulis encrasicolus or Anchovies or Alici (in Italian)
Anchovies - prized for their unique flavor - are beautifully grey and blue-green. They average long 5 to 9 inches long. 85 g of alici serving: 63 g of water, 2 g of omega-3, 18 g of proteins, 4 g of fat, only 111 calories.
The meat is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids and they can be eaten or fresh (marinated with lemon juice) or cooked in many ways: bake, deep fry, marinated, pan fry, grill..... Most of the "fishy" flavor of the anchovy comes from the curing process, because when they are fresh, the "alici" are rich and the flavor is good.
In Venice they were and are an important ingredient for the Venetian Cuisine.
One of our favorite ways to prepare alici is marinating white anchovies (alici fresche marinate) in lemon juice and salt.
INGREDIENTS serving 6 people
Alici (fresh anchovies for about 1 kilo)
3-4 lemon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt to taste
fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
2 tbs of pink peppercorn
DIRECTIONS
Wash and clean the anchovies (cut the head, the intestines, and the backbone: you must have a whole, clean fillet, a sort of butterfly). Wash them with water for 10 minutes. Place the anchovies in a casserole, sprinkling them with salt (but not too much). Then pour the lemon juice, cover the casserole and refrigerate for about 4 hours.
Now you will have white anchovies! Then drain and discard the lemon juice. Dress them with extra virgin olive oil, Italian parsley, and pink peppercorn.
BUON APPETITO!
Time: PREP TIME 4 hours.