Anchovies can be cleaned without a knife. Hold the head between your thumb and index finger and break it downward; as the head comes off, the internal organs come with it. Then pull the backbone of the opened fish toward the tail and remove it in one piece. An experienced hand can clean one anchovy in a few seconds; 1 kilogram of anchovies takes roughly 20 minutes. The entire process is done without a knife and takes a few minutes.
Start with the head of the anchovy. Hold the fish by the body in your left hand, and place your right thumb and index finger just behind the head, at the gills. Break the head down and backward; as it comes off, most of the internal organs in the belly come out with it. This single movement combines two separate tasks and shortens the entire process of cleaning anchovies. Put the head in one container and the body in another.
After removing the head, open the belly toward the tail with your thumbnail; no knife is needed. When the fish is opened like a book, the backbone becomes visible in the middle. Hold it by the end near the head, pull it toward the tail, and remove it in one piece; it breaks off at the tail. If you slide a finger underneath the backbone as you pull it, the fine bones still attached to the flesh will come away with it. Leave the tail on or remove it, as you prefer. If cleaning anchovies for pan-frying, leave the bodies joined at the tail; that lets them fan out in the pan and keeps them from falling apart.
Put the cleaned anchovies in a colander and briefly rinse them with cold water. Do not leave them soaking for a long time; anchovy flesh is delicate and absorbs water quickly, causing it to fall apart. After rinsing, shake the colander to drain the water, then spread the anchovies in a single layer on a paper towel, cover them with a second towel, and press gently. Well-dried anchovies will not stick together in the pan, the flour will adhere better, and the frying oil will not splatter.
Speed comes with practice. The first anchovy may take half a minute the first time; once you get used to it, it takes a few seconds. About 1 kilogram of anchovies takes roughly 20 minutes to clean. Work next to a container of water and rinse your hands often. Anchovies are easier to separate when kept refrigerator-cold; anchovies that warm up fall apart in your hands. Put the scraps in a sealed bag; anchovy scraps start to smell very quickly in the kitchen, so do not leave them sitting around. Gloves are also an option, but choose thin rubber gloves; with thick gloves, you cannot feel the backbone in your hand.
Do not leave cleaned anchovies sitting around. Cook them the same day; if you will not cook them, freeze them in a single layer and then transfer them to a bag. Add salt shortly before cooking, because anchovies salted too early release water and do not hold flour. Some recipes cook anchovies whole without cleaning them; this is also a valid preparation, depending on the recipe. The cooking measurement is the same: fish is considered safe when the flesh reaches 63°C / 145°F; thin fish such as anchovies reach this temperature within minutes.
Comments (3)
Kılçığı kuyruktan tutup çekince tek parça geliyor, balığın kitap gibi açıldığı an işin en keyifli yeri.
Bıçaksız yapınca gerçekten çok daha hızlı ilerliyor, tek bedeli elin kokusu.
Uzun suda bekletmeyin uyarısı yerinde; bir kez unutup on dakika bıraktım, tavada hepsi dağıldı.