Fried Anchovies (stovetop + oven)

Crispy, golden, and irresistibly moreish fried anchovies (Greek Gavros Tiganitos). Deep-fried in oil or cooked in the oven for a healthier alternative!

Table Of Contents

• What Is Gavros?
• Ingredients
• Make It In The Oven
• TIPS
• Adding Flavors
• Serve With
• Recipe

What Is Gavros?

Greek Gavros or Gayros (=anchovies) is traditionally fried on the stovetop in a generous amount of vegetable oil until beautifully crisp on the outside. It's then served with fresh lemon to be squeezed on top.

This is one of the most popular fish dishes in traditional Greek restaurants. Especially during summer, when you can find thick and meaty anchovies.

Ingredients

• Anchovies: You can use either fresh or frozen. Whatever you find. Usually, anchovies keep well in the freezer, and their flavor and texture don't change much by freezing.
• Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or fine millet flour (for gluten-free) to coat the fish before cooking it. Two more options are durum wheat flour or corn flour (not cornstarch) for a thicker coating.
• Oil: For frying anchovies, you need a vegetable oil such as canola, sunflower, or corn oil. You can use olive oil, but it will make the flavor too heavy, and it is not my recommendation when it comes to frying delicate fish like this. You can use olive oil to cook fried anchovies in the oven as mentioned in the recipe below.
• Lemon: Fresh lemon cut into quarters to serve with the fish.

Make It In The Oven

To make crispy fried anchovies in the oven, you coat the fish in flour, then drizzle with olive oil, and bake on parchment paper until golden and crisp. The flavor is almost the same as that of anchovies fried in oil on the stovetop. Slightly less oily but surely as crisp!

TIPS

1. Don't overcrowd the fish. Whether you are cooking anchovies on the stovetop or in the oven, leave some space to cook well and become crisp.
2. Remove most of the blood. Soak the fish in water for a couple of minutes after removing the heads (if cleaning fresh fish). Also, rinse the anchovies in a strainer (after removing the innards) with plenty of cold running water until the water runs clear. These steps make a big difference in flavor.
3. Remove the innards. The innards of anchovies have a bitter taste. Run your thumb inside the belly (it's easy to do so after removing the head and soaking them in water), and they will come off.
4. When buying fresh anchovies, make sure their flesh is tight and doesn't feel soft and mushy.

Adding Flavors

Greeks don't add any flavorings to fried Gavros. But if you want to give them more of a flavor, you can add some dried oregano or garlic powder to the flour.

Serve With

Serve Greek fried anchovies traditionally with a Greek Salad, or Marinated Tomato Salad, or other classic Greek side dishes such as: Greek Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata), Fava Dip (Yellow Split Peas Dip), or Skordalia (Potato and Garlic Dip).

Recipe