Lemon Anchovies with Quinoa Salad

We're in the middle of summer, so we couldn't miss a classic for these days: Luisa (Cooking with my Carmela) brings us a simple and delicious recipe to make some tasty anchovies with lemon. Enjoy the recipe... and the summer!

All year long we eat fish at home, especially when you live in a seaport where the variety is truly wide. But without a doubt we have a favorite fish come summer, the Victorian anchovies.

In Málaga, sardine skewers are famous, but lemon-marinated anchovies are another classic that never fails to appear on our table these days.

As I always say, if you buy from a trusted fishmonger you’re sure to get the best product, and that’s my case: I get anchovies of the highest quality, small as my family likes them, and I’m also lucky enough to buy them already cleaned and boned so I can season them, then give them a quick fry and they’re ready.

You've probably already figured out which recipe I'm bringing you today: anchovies with lemon. I’m not much for seasoning fish, but these are truly worth it, and it’s very simple—nothing complicated. In summer we like to take a break from the kitchen too; at least that’s how it is for me, and I’m sure for you as well.

Zenda glass plate and Mediterranean glasses

When it comes to the accompaniment you can make a chopped tomato mixture, quite a classic and very tasty; but at home lately we've gotten into quinoa salads, a cereal that's very trendy right now and that I recommend for its benefits. It takes just a moment to prepare; season it and it's ready to eat.

Now I'll tell you how, let's move on to the ingredients and their preparation.

Ingredients

Ingredients for making lemon anchovies

• 2 medium lemons (we will only need their juice)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Parsley to taste, chopped
• 1/2 kg of Victorian anchovies
• Wheat flour
• Extra virgin olive oil for frying

Ingredients for the quinoa salad

• 150 gr of quinoa
• 1/2 red onion
• Chopped parsley
• Oil, vinegar and salt

Production

Preparation of the anchovies

1. We clean the anchovies and butterfly them; you can ask your fishmonger to do it. We place them on a tray.
2. Once they are all clean, add the lemon juice (for this we will use the lemon squeezer), the garlic cloves and the finely chopped parsley. At this point you can add salt if you want; in my case I haven't added any. We'll leave it for half an hour and we'll see how they turn white.
3. Once the time has passed, put the flour on another tray and dredge our anchovies one by one, well drained and carefully, as they are so small they can break.
4. In the meantime, let's heat our pan with the oil (the iron ones are perfect for frying, like the ones from De Buyer), and when it's hot we put them in one by one to fry them on both sides, be careful because they're done in no time.
5. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Quinoa Salad Preparation

1. We rinse the quinoa and put a Shallow Casserole on to boil with plenty of water. When it is boiling, add the quinoa and boil for about 20 minutes.
2. While we slice the red onion along with the parsley, always with the help of my Pallarès knife.
3. When the quinoa is ready, drain it, plate it, and dress to taste with oil, salt, and vinegar. Add the onion and chopped parsley on top.
4. Ready to serve.

Trilloliva Gourmet Extra Virgin Olive Oil and plate Zenda Mediterránea glass

When plating, I like to place a few sprigs of parsley as a garnish on the plate (on this occasion I used the Zenda Mediterránea glass, I think it makes the recipe look even better); place the anchovies on top and the salad right next to it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do at home.