Stuffed anchovies are a Ligurian dish rooted in Italy's cibo povero tradition. Similar to the stuffed region's stuffed mussels, stuffed anchovies are made from leftover vegetables and milk-soaked stale bread.
The bread is then chopped and mixed with the remaining ingredients, then stuffed into the anchovies. You can find them on the menu at some Ligurian restaurants, including La Cantina di Miky in the Cinque Terre.
Cleaning the anchovies
Fresh anchovies are essential to the recipe. Look for ones with a bright, protruding eye; shiny, metallic scales; and a firm, elastic body with a slightly red halo near the head. To clean the anchovies, slice them lengthwise along the belly and remove their head and central spine, but leave the tail. Open them (almost like a book), wash under running water, and lay them to dry on a paper towel – they're ready to be stuffed.
Stuffed Anchovies Recipe
Ingredients
1½ lb fresh anchovies
7 oz. fresh chard
1 bunch of chopped parsley
¼ cup stale bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. grated Parmigiano Reggiano,
2 large eggs, beaten
milk
2 cloves of garlic
pine nuts
salt
pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Clean the anchovies as indicated above and soak the breadcrumbs in a little milk. Remove the bread crumbs from the milk and squeeze out any excess liquid.
Wash the chard leaves and sauté them in a pan with only the water that remains after washing. As soon as they're cooked, drain and then wring out any excess liquid.
Chop and transfer to a bowl. Combine with the Parmigiano Reggiano, chopped garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, beaten eggs, 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix the ingredients carefully, and then place small dollops of the mixture onto the open anchovies. Complete with two pine nuts and place a second anchovy on top, “enclosing” the filling. If you’d like, top it off with a thin slice of lemon.
Grease a baking tray, lay the anchovies beside one another, and bake for 10-15 minutes – the filling should remain soft. Serve warm.