Fried Anchovies with Sage

Fresh anchovies for breakfast!

These little fish are delicious & so very good for you! Baked, fried & grilled - they are worth a try and they are one of the really last wild sustainable fish.

Here is what I recently had along the coast of the Mediterrean in a small town - Fried Anchovies -  the recipe below adds a sage leaf to each piece of fish as well for an extra burst of flavor & color. Served with loads of lemon and nothing else!

We enjoyed them with Prosecco of course!

Fried Anchovies with SageAcciughe fritte con Salvia

1lb of anchovies cleaned, spines removedsage leaves or borage

sea salt & lemon juice to garnish

Batter:1 cup of flour1 egg1 teaspoon of salt1 teaspoon of baking powderseltzer water

In Italy, we only fry with extra virgin olive oil. In the U.S., I use peanut oil if I am unsure of the quality for frying.

In a bowl combine flour, eggs, salt & baking powder. Slowly add in seltzer water & mix until this forms a thin batter. Cover with plastic & set in the fridge for at least an hour.

Heat oil in a pot to 350 degrees.

Remove batter from fridge and mix well. Put sage leaf & anchovy together & dip into the batter - allowing access batter to drip off. Fry 20- 25 seconds a side until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.

Sprinkle with salt & lemon and serve immediately.