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Turkey · Anchovy

Turkish Pan-Fried Anchovies

Hamsi Tava

When the winter anchovy run hits the Black Sea, the whole coast from Trabzon to Istanbul eats hamsi. For hamsi tava the little fish are opened, dusted in cornmeal and laid in a wheel in a hot pan, fried crisp, then flipped onto a plate in one go and served with lemon, raw onion and greens.

  • Prep 30 min
  • Cook 15 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy
Photo: Esin Deniz / Adobe Stock
Served with: Turkish Shepherd's Salad ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

To serve

Method

Step by step, the traditional way.

  1. Clean. Pinch off each head and pull the guts out with it. Open the fish like a book with your thumb and pull out the backbone, leaving the tail on (or leave the bone in; it is soft enough to eat).
  2. Rinse and salt. Rinse the anchovies in cold water, drain well in a colander and toss with the salt.
  3. Coat. Toss the fish in the cornmeal a handful at a time and shake off the extra.
  4. Arrange. Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Lay the anchovies in a wheel, tails to the center, overlapping slightly, until the pan is full.
  5. Fry and flip. Fry 4–5 minutes, shaking the pan, until the bottom is crisp and golden. Put a large plate over the pan and flip the whole wheel onto it, then slide it back in to fry the other side 3–4 minutes.
  6. Serve. Flip onto a platter and serve at once with lemon wedges, red onion, arugula and çoban salatası.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Turkish Shepherd's Salad
Turkey

Turkish Shepherd's Salad

Çoban Salatası

Tomato, cucumber, pepper and onion chopped small with parsley, lemon and olive oil. Fresh and sharp next to anything fried.

  • Prep 15 min
  • Cook 0 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 3 ripe tomatoes, diced small
  • 2 small cucumbers, diced small
  • 2 long green peppers (sivri biber), diced
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp sumac or pul biber (optional)

How to make it

  1. Chop. Dice the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onion small and even.
  2. Rub the onion. Rub the onion with a pinch of salt and squeeze it lightly to soften its bite.
  3. Dress. Toss everything with the parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
  4. Serve. Sprinkle with sumac or pul biber and serve right away.

More small-fish favorites

Little fish, big flavor, across the seas.

Mahdia, TunisiaTunisian Grilled Sardines with Harissa
El Palo, Málaga, SpainMálaga Beach Sardine Skewers
Yorkshire, EnglandBritish Fish and Chips