Anchoas De L'escala (4 Filetes) Recipe
Anchovies in vinegar (6 fillets)
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Ingredients
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Anchovy fillets and curing
Vinegar marinade
Finishing & serving
Method
Anchovy fillets and curing
- 1
Clean and cure anchovies
If your anchovies are not already filleted, remove heads, guts, and backbone and rinse gently under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Place fillets in a single layer in a shallow nonreactive dish (glass or ceramic). Sprinkle the fillets evenly with the 2 tbs coarse sea salt. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour to firm the flesh and draw out excess moisture. After curing, gently rinse the salt off under cold running water and pat the fillets very dry. Set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate.
Vinegar marinade
- 2
Prepare marinade
In a small saucepan combine 120 ml white wine vinegar, 60 ml water, 1 tsp sugar, 1 bay leaf, 6 peppercorns, and 2 whole cloves. Add the optional lemon slices if using. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring once so the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature (about 15–20 minutes). The brief simmer mellows the vinegar and extracts aromatics from the spices.
- 3
Marinate anchovies
Place the dried anchovy fillets in a shallow glass dish in a single layer (you can overlap slightly). Pour the cooled marinade over the fillets until they are just covered. If needed, add a little more water or vinegar in a 2:1 vinegar:water ratio to cover. Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 12 hours for a more pronounced pickled flavor. For the classic L'Escala-style texture and tang, 4–6 hours is ideal.
Finishing & serving
- 4
Drain and dress
When ready to serve, remove the fillets from the marinade and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain for 5 minutes. Arrange the fillets on a serving plate. Drizzle evenly with 2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and finish with a light dusting of freshly ground black pepper. Discard the used marinade (do not reuse).
- 5
Serve
Serve the anchoas de L'Escala immediately with 4 slices of crusty bread or toast. These are an excellent tapas accompaniment and can be served chilled or at cool room temperature.