A loaf of bread, a drink of your choice and a tupperware of marinated anchovies is all you need for a spectacular dinner. Anchovies, a very common preserve in our country, can be bought everywhere. But without a doubt, nothing can compare to the flavor of homemade marinated anchovies. It is an elaborate custom that is being lost. Once you have read this article, you will know how to prepare anchovies like no other and you will be able to prepare them to enjoy them throughout the season. Please note that it will take a week to complete the entire process.
There are several things you need to take into account from the moment you set foot in your trusted fishmonger. The professionals of this establishment will be able to advise you better than anyone on the type of anchovy that suits you best, but it is important that you arrive at the fishmonger knowing what you have to buy. The anchovy you buy should be large. To make sure it’s fresh, look at the scales and eyes: they should look shiny. Buy half a kilo of anchovies. Keep in mind that once you clean them at home, this is an amount that will decrease significantly.
How to clean anchovies
Once you get home, you will need to clean the anchovies. It’s a bit of a tedious task, but the rest of the process of preparing your marinated anchovies will be child’s play in comparison. We advise you to wear thin gloves, which protect your hands from the smell of fish but allow you to maintain maximum dexterity. You must do this process with all the anchovies, one by one:
- Grasp the anchovy by the head and twist it until it snaps. Do this gently and you will also be able to remove the intestine in the same movement. To do this, pull the head down, from the side where the pelvic fin is, towards the tail. Your mouth should be open in two.
- Carefully prick the inside of the anchovy with your fingers to clean out any remains of intestines that may have remained inside.
- Put your finger back inside the anchovy, and with a movement that goes from bottom to top from the tail, remove the thorns in complex.
- Repeat with all the anchovies.
Once this process is done, you need to freeze the anchovies to ensure that they do not contain anisakis. The pickling process should kill this parasite, but the best prevention is to put the anchovies in the freezer.
How to make anchovies in vinegar
Once your anchovies have spent a few days in the freezer, defrost them in the refrigerator and prepare to soak them in vinegar. Prepare a tupperware for their elaboration where they have room to be elaborated. Remember that anchovy is a delicate fish:
- Once defrosted, wash the anchovy and soak it in water for ten minutes. This will remove all the blood from the fish, which tends to leave an unpleasant taste.
- Wash the anchovies again and place them in the tupperware that you have chosen. Cover them with vinegar and a teaspoon of salt.
- Let them sit for a day in the refrigerator.
- The next day, we drain them and prepare the vinaigrette.
- Inside tupperware where you are going to store them, cover them with sunflower oil, chopped garlic and parsley to taste.
- Your anchovies will now be ready to eat. Remember that they must stay in the refrigerator.
How to make pickled mushrooms
If you like the flavor of this jam but can’t or don’t want to eat anchovies, we recommend its vegan version: marinated mushrooms. The preparation process for this recipe is quicker than its fish alternative, and you can enjoy them the same day if you prepare them in advance. We recommend buying the mushrooms already rolled and washed to speed up the process. But if you buy them whole, wash them in cold water so they don’t get damaged, then cut them carefully with a sharp knife. This recipe is for 200 grams of mushrooms:
- Place the mushrooms in a container. As with the anchovies, it must be a tupperware where they have space.
- Cover the mushrooms with a teaspoon of salt, salting them well.
- Cover them with vinegar and let them sit in the refrigerator for two hours.
- Take them out of the refrigerator after this time. As with the anchovies, remove the excess vinegar and cover them with oil. In this case it can be sunflower or olive. We recommend opting for liquid gold, as it leaves an intense flavor that goes very well with the mushrooms.
- Dress them with parsley and chopped garlic to taste. Remember that they must stay in the refrigerator.
Another alternative to this appetizer is to make it with zucchini. This vegetable has a different flavor, and the end result may even remind you of the flavor of anchovy. Choose generous, large zucchini so you can prepare a large quantity at once. This recipe is for 100 grams of zucchini:
- Wash and peel the zucchini with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife. We recommend doing this step with gloves, as the skin of the zucchini releases a sticky substance that can leave your hands dry. Make sure to remove all the greens from the skin, as this can make the jam bitter.
- Cut the zucchini into sticks. They should not be very thick to absorb the vinegar well.
- Mix the vinegar, whatever you need to cover the zucchini, with a teaspoon of water and another of salt.
- Pour the mixture into a tupperware on the zucchini and leave the jam in the refrigerator for six to eight hours. The time will depend on how thickly you slice the zucchini and whether you prefer them soft or al dente.
- Over time, drain the zucchini and cover with olive oil, parsley and salt to taste.
