Green anchovies: the dish of Piedmontese excellence

Green anchovies are a typical appetizer of the Piedmontese tradition, easy to make and delicious to enjoy on any occasion.

Today we are going to Piedmont to prepare the recipe for green anchovies, an appetizer that is now widespread throughout Italy , but which originated precisely in this region. Although far from the sea, it boasts several recipes featuring anchovies . This is the case, for example, of bagna cauda and the same green bath, sauces that are inevitable on the table together with boiled meat.

Preparing green anchovies is very simple. Our advice is to use, as tradition dictates, salted anchovies . It is also possible to prepare this appetizer with fresh anchovies but they must be killed first to avoid health risks. Let's find out how to prepare green anchovies Piedmontese style.

How to prepare the green anchovies recipe

1. Take the anchovies and soak them for 30 minutes in a basin with water and 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar .
2. Then divide the two fillets , taking care not to break them and clean them thoroughly by removing the bones. Pat them dry with kitchen paper.
3. Let's move on to preparing the Piedmontese green sauce . First, cook the eggs in water for 8 minutes after boiling. Once boiled, peel them and remove the yolks.
4. In the meantime, soak the bread in the vinegar .
5. Clean the parsley and chop it coarsely, then do the same with the garlic , removing the internal core if you want. Chop everything well and transfer to a bowl, adding the oil slowly and the squeezed and crumbled bread. Mix vigorously until you get the right consistency.
6. Then place the anchovies in a container with a cap and cover them with the green bath and leave them to rest in the refrigerator. The longer you wait before tasting them, the more the anchovies will have absorbed the flavors of the marinade!

To enjoy them, our advice is to enhance their aromas and flavors by leaving them intact and making them the protagonists of your appetizers. Try them on some slices of toasted bread and you will fall in love with them!

As an alternative to the proposed recipe, you can opt for a light green sauce prepared simply by chopping garlic, capers and parsley and adding oil, vinegar and salt. The idea of ​​preparing anchovies in red is also excellent: the sauce in this case is the equally famous bagnet ross .

Conservation

Green anchovies will keep in the refrigerator for a maximum of two days.

Origin and history of green anchovies

It is no coincidence that in many typical Piedmontese recipes we find anchovies as the protagonists, a very tasty and versatile blue fish. This fact is linked to the story of the smuggling of salt which once, during the Kingdom of Savoy, arrived from France via the Alps. Anchovies, which were cheaper at the time, were used to hide the salt.

Another hypothesis, although less accredited, traces the arrival of anchovies in Piedmont to the Saracens who settled in the valleys after the raids conducted in nearby Provence. In all cases it is a very important ingredient in the gastronomic tradition of the area to the point that a brotherhood was founded and a museum inaugurated in Valle Maira, dedicated to the figure of the anchovy .

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How to make green sauce: the recipe of Piedmontese cuisine