Post by Goosehi,
my mum would use the fresh anchovies, remove the bones and then dip
them in some batter and fry them....almost like tempura.
-goosy
I was standing at my local Asian grocery store's checkout line
recently
when I spotted that the customer behind me had several packages of
frozen anchovy fish. Intriguing.
As a typical Westerner, I'm accustomed to buying anchovies in those
small oblong cans--to be used in Italian/Mediterranean cooking.
So...I'm wondering what Asian dishes require fresh/frozen anchovies.
Can anyone enlighten?
Arsenio
Being a lover of seafoods I had some familiarity with these small
fish.
Anchovy is known in English as silverside and in Phiippine Vernacular
IIRC as dilis and bolinao depending whether you are living on Luzon or
the Visayan speaking central and southern regions.
I remember as if it is freshly caught I see natives usually wash and
drain and pat it dry.
It can be just dipped in pickled solution of vinegar, chopped birds
eye chillis, chopped garlic, shallots, and crushed ginger with a dash
of black pepper.Salt is added to taste.The fresh fish has a sweetish
taste while the frozen or refrigerated ones can exhibit some little
bitterness.
It is usually used as an accompaniment in friendly drinking parties .
Eating while drinking the local beverage fresh tuba(coconut wine) or
if not lambanog and local gin
Meanwhile usually if you lived in Luzon the heads and entrails as well
as the bones are pulled out(but not usually in the Visayas and
Mindanao region) and then dipped in batter made of flour/cornstarch /
cassava starch mixed with beaten eggs and spiced with , sautéed garlic
and onions, dash of pepper and sometimes chopped chillis and hint of
monosodium glutamate. It is then formed into a flat patty and fried
on both sides in oil until crisp then drained out. It is good snack
item,appetizers, and even considered a viand during meals with
boiled rice or corn grits.
In some regions it is cooked whole,IIRC as sinigang type by boiling
water with condiments and spicesi.e, chopped tomatoes,spring
onions,bok choy,cabbage,chillis,salt,lemon juice and sourfruit (IIRC,
kamias?) and MSG to taste ( as for the typical Philippine poached
fish) and the anchovies are dropped and cooked until the tails bend
and the eye balls pop out which means it is considered done.This is
usually eaten best with boiled or steamed rice.
In the southern regions the bolinao it is cooked as stewed fish type
IIRC paksiw type. That is the anchovy fish is wrapped (about
10-pieces depending on the fish size) in some kind of succulent tree
leaf or even tender banana or even young coconut palm leaves.Then
placed in an claypot and steeped with enough amount local coconut
vinegar(just enough to be visible or barely cover the fish) and hence
not producing extreme sourness), with chopped chilis, crushed garlic,
or even ginger and onions and sometimes peppercorns with salt to taste
and MSG.No more water is added as the juice and leaves exude some
moisture during the short cooking process under a woodfire; or until
the eyeballs pop out where its considered done and remove from heat.
But Before its done its is tasted to see the right taste( or seasoned
with more vinegar or additional salt) and then pouring some vegetable
oil to improve the taste as the anchovy is a lean fish.
In the tagalog regions they add so much water that the fish appears
swimming in it or its cooked with tomatoes and onions with
additional water, but I cannot remember then name of the dish .
Unfortunately frozen anchovies will cook differently from the fresh
ones; and the determining factor during cooking such as the popped
fish eyeballs does not usually manifest. If it appears white then its
considered done; but You have to cook carefully so that you will not
end up with overcooked or even mashed fish on the pot.
Anchovies are popular in many parts of Asia as pickled with salt and
fermented for sometimes in earthenware jars.It is also dried and sold
as IIRC,ikan bilis in Indonesia.
Roy