Acciughe ripiene alla ligure are fresh anchovies opened like a book, spread with a filling of soaked bread, Parmesan, egg, garlic, parsley and marjoram, and closed in pairs like a little fish sandwich. They are breaded and either baked or fried. If you searched for “anchovies Ligurian style”, this is the dish.
It is a humble dish: plentiful, cheap fish plus stale bread and whatever is in the pantry. The real work is cleaning the fish; the filling is just mixing. Below you will find quantities for four, the mistakes to avoid and how this differs from the salted anchovies of Monterosso, which are a different product.
- Origin: Liguria; a rural and seafaring tradition with many family versions
- Total time: about 40 minutes, including resting the filling
- Serves: 4 (about 4 stuffed anchovies each)
- Difficulty: easy; cleaning the fish takes the longest
- Key ingredients: fresh anchovies, bread soaked in milk, Parmesan, marjoram
- Season: fresh anchovies in spring and summer; the Ligurian catch for salting runs from 1 April to 15 October
Ingredients
Ingredients for 4 people:
Anchovies
- 500 g (about 1 lb 2 oz) fresh anchovies (about 35, you need 32)
Filling
- 3 anchovy fillets in oil
- 30 g stale bread crumb (the soft inside)
- 80 ml milk
- 1 garlic clove
- 8 g parsley
- 2 sprigs marjoram
- 20 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 egg yolk
- 10 g extra virgin olive oil
- 2 g fine salt
Breading and cooking
- 1 egg
- 150 g breadcrumbs
- 30 ml oil for the tray and for drizzling
- grated zest of half a lemon, to serve (optional)
How to make it
- Clean the anchovies: pull off the head towards you, remove the guts and open the fish like a book, taking out the backbone without separating the two fillets. Rinse and drain on a tilted board.
- Soak the bread crumb in the milk. Chop the garlic and parsley and warm them gently in a small pan with the anchovy fillets in oil and the olive oil, without browning. Let cool.
- Squeeze the bread well and mix it with the egg yolk, Parmesan, chopped marjoram and salt. Add the cooled anchovy mixture.
- Rest the filling for 10 minutes so it firms up and is easier to handle.
- Take 32 opened anchovies: spread a small spoonful of filling on 16 of them, cover with another anchovy and press the edges.
- Dip each pair in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs.
- Line a baking tray with parchment, oil it, arrange the anchovies and drizzle with a little oil.
- Bake in a static oven at 220 °C (about 425 °F), mid-height, 10 minutes on one side and 10 on the other. Serve warm, with lemon zest or a squeeze of juice.
Tips and common mistakes
- Buy really fresh fish. Fresh anchovies are firm with a curved body; if the flesh falls apart when you press the belly, they are not fresh.
- The bread matters. Use a country loaf with plenty of crumb and little crust: hard-crusted breads turn to mush in the milk.
- Squeeze the crumb. A wet filling will not hold and slides out of the fish; if it is too soft, add a little breadcrumb.
- Do not over-fry. Anchovies cook fast: in the fried version about a minute per side is enough.
- Check your oven. Sources give 180 to 220 °C and 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the oven and thickness. Look for a golden colour and make sure the filling is cooked through.
- Make ahead. You can prepare the stuffed anchovies and keep them covered in the fridge until you cook them.
Variations
- Fried. Breaded as above and fried in plenty of hot oil, about a minute per side, filling side first. The oven is the lighter version.
- With chard. Some versions use boiled, squeezed chard, onion, eggs and Parmesan for the filling.
- With walnuts and capers. Other versions add walnuts, rinsed capers or lemon zest to the filling; some cooks leave out the garlic or the cheese.
- On a bed of potatoes. The anchovies sit on blanched potato slices and bake at 180 °C fan for 25 to 30 minutes.
Quantities vary from family to family: in the sources compared, the amount of bread crumb ranges from 30 to 150 g. Sardines work the same way: they are fattier and easier to clean.
History and origin
Stuffed anchovies come from Ligurian rural and seafaring cooking: a common fish combined with land ingredients such as bread, eggs and cheese. There is no documented date of origin, and versions vary even within one family.
In the Genoese version the filling includes Parmesan and the anchovies are baked; frying is the other traditional method.
Where to try it in Liguria
It is a home-cooking dish, and its setting is Ligurian cuisine. For the bigger picture start with our guide to Ligurian cuisine.
- In Genoa fried and baked blue fish belongs to the traditional table: see what to eat in Genoa.
- In the Cinque Terre anchovies are at home in Monterosso; see the town guide for visiting.
For a full Ligurian antipasto serve them with farinata and Genoese focaccia; for the first course, pesto genovese.
Monterosso and salted anchovies
The anchovies of Monterosso are a different product from stuffed anchovies: they are eaten salted, not fresh. This recipe needs fresh anchovies.
The protected name is the PGI “Acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure”, registered at European level (Reg. EC 776/2008, amended in 2017): it covers the whole Ligurian sea, not only Monterosso. The specification requires fishing with the lampara from 1 April to 15 October, hand cleaning, layers of salt and 40 to 60 days of maturing, then glass jars called arbanelle.
In Monterosso, tradition has the boats going out at night with the lampara from 29 June, the feast of St Peter. For the local anchovy festivals (one in June for fried anchovies, one in September for salted ones) check the dates with the town.
What to drink
In Liguria a fresh, dry white such as Vermentino is the usual match. For local wines see Ligurian wines.
Frequently asked questions
Are stuffed anchovies baked or fried?
Both are traditional. Baking is lighter and easier to manage; frying gives a crunchier crust.
Can I use sardines instead of anchovies?
Yes. They are similar in size and are stuffed the same way: they are fattier and easier to clean, with a slightly different flavour.
Can I make them ahead or freeze them?
You can prepare them and keep them covered in the fridge until cooking. They can be frozen raw or cooked; raw ones should thaw in the fridge before going into the oven.
Are they safe, with egg and raw fish in the filling?
Yes, if you cook them through: the fish and the egg in the filling must be fully cooked. Raw or marinated fish (anchovies in lemon) is different: vinegar and lemon do not kill anisakis, so the fish is frozen first following your local health authority’s guidance.
How do they differ from the salted anchovies of Monterosso?
Stuffed anchovies use fresh fish and are cooked. Monterosso anchovies are preserved in salt for 40 to 60 days and eaten as they are, with oil, or used in cooking as a seasoning.
When are they eaten?
Fresh anchovies are a spring and summer fish. The Ligurian catch for salting runs from 1 April to 15 October according to the PGI specification.
What bread should I use for the filling?
A country loaf with plenty of crumb and little crust. Stale bread is fine, but not the hard-crusted kind.