If I net some anchovies, how to prepare them? Do they have tobe cleaned? The only recipes online assume canned

Question

I've never worked with fresh anchovies before. but I want to. Also I want to preserve some with salt for later. Again, must I gut each one...? Are they safe to eat unprocessed? Please don't laugh! I haven't done this before. Thanks to all serious answers!

Answer 1

Hi..
you always have to gut a fish ... just like a chicken ... the anchovies you get in cans are fillets ... the side of the fish stripped off the bones ...

What do you mean "unprocessed'?..
raw, you mean? It depends upon where you catch them ... are they to be from clean waters? ... and I suppose they would be as safe as any raw fish.. (see Japanese cuisine: sushi) ... I personally would not want to even try, but that is up to you...can you pickle raw fish, is that what you mean by preserving in salt? I think so ... isn't herring deli-style salted a little and packed in vinegar with spices, sometimes packed in additional sour cream?

I have seen Italian recipes for using them just like other fish... broiled or done in the pan with oil and fennel, unless I am mistaken, garnished with fresh fennel and sliced lemon ...

I know this is not very authoritative, but I hope it is a start for you ..

My curiosity got the better of me:
I typed in "Italian Recipes for fresh anchovies" ... these sites look ok:

* allrecipes.com .... the heading of the listing is: Italian Recipes - European - All Recipes (that is: the headline of the listing on Yahoo..)

* www.lifeinitaly.com .... has a picture of freshly caught fish

* italianfood.about.com ...

Peace & Love

Answer 2

I found this:
One classic way of preserving anchovies is to wash the fresh fish, gut it (excuse the blunt language), and bury it in coarse sea salt. The idea is to use a sterile glass jar, make a layer of sea salt, a single layer of anchovies, another layer of sea salt, and so on. Be generous with the salt. I store the jar in the refrigerator. They'll keep a year. To use the anchovies, you could soak them first, or merely rinse them, and then, to bone them. open them like a book, and lift out the bone. Starting with the tail, it should come out in one piece.