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Fish, Maghreb and Middle East

Hamsi tava with onion salad

Hamsi tava is a Turkish dish of fresh anchovies coated in cornmeal and fried until crisp, served with a red onion salad seasoned with sumac. It serves 4, takes 35 minutes, and is easy to make for about €3.40 per person. The key to success is flouring the fish only at the last moment and frying in small batches to keep the coating crunchy.

Tonight we're heading to the Black Sea, with crispy little anchovies straight from the pan and a sharp onion salad.

Hamsi tava with onion salad
Total time
35 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.40
Calories per person
480 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Fall, Winter

Hamsi tava is first of all a sound, the crackle of the coating as you bite in. Fresh anchovies, butterflied and boned, get a thin coating of cornmeal and flour that turns sandy and crisp outside while staying tender inside. Alongside, a red onion salad with sumac and lemon brings the sharp acidity that wakes up the fish, a classic from the Black Sea coast.

This is a weeknight dish that comes together in 35 minutes, perfect when you want fish on the table without spending the whole evening cooking. It suits anyone who likes bold, tangy flavors, the sumac and onion bite isn't really built for picky kids. Serve it with bread to mop up the juices, a simple, straightforward dinner with no fuss.

The ingredients

4 people

Fish counter

  • Fresh anchovies 800 g

Pantry

  • Cornmealoften in the pantry 100 g
  • Flouroften in the pantry 50 g
  • Sumacoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Sunflower oiloften in the pantry 15 cl
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Red onion 2
  • Parsley 1 bunch
  • Lemon 2

Bakery

  • Baguette 1

Allergens Gluten, Fish

The step by step recipe

  1. Gut the anchovies, remove the head and central bone with your thumb, rinse them and pat them very dry with paper towels.

    Butterfly them open with one thumb stroke along the belly, the bone comes away on its own.

  2. Thinly slice the red onions, mix them with chopped parsley, sumac, the juice of one lemon, salt and pepper.

    Rub the onions with salt for a minute, they lose their sharpness and keep their crunch.

  3. Mix the two flours in a plate and roll the anchovies in it, tapping off the excess.

    The cornmeal gives the sandy texture, it's what makes the real Turkish coating.

  4. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the anchovies golden in small batches. 8 min

    Don't add more than a single layer, otherwise the pan cools down and the fish soak up the oil.

  5. Drain on paper towels, salt lightly and serve with the onion salad, the remaining lemon and the baguette.

    Serve right away, a fried anchovy left waiting turns soft within five minutes.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick anchovies that look firm and shiny, the smell should stay mild and oceanic, never strong.
  • Heat the oil before adding the first anchovy, it should sizzle immediately on contact.
  • Make the onion salad first, it needs a few minutes for the salt to soften the onions.

The variations

  • Swap the anchovies for butterflied sardines, the coating and cooking stay exactly the same.
  • For a fish free version, coat and fry zucchini blossoms or eggplant slices the same way.
  • To save time, ask your fishmonger to clean and bone the anchovies ahead of time.

What to serve it with

  • Crusty bread for dipping
  • A glass of fresh lemonade
  • Turkish lentil soup as a starter

Storage

Hamsi tava is best eaten right away, since the coating softens within minutes. If needed, keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 day and reheat it in a dry skillet to crisp it back up a little. Freezing isn't recommended, fried coated fish loses its texture.

Questions about this dish

Can you use frozen anchovies for hamsi tava?

Yes, but thaw them slowly in the fridge and pat them very dry before coating. Excess water keeps the coating from sticking and crisping properly during frying.

Can you replace the cornmeal with regular flour?

You can, but you'll lose the sandy texture that makes the Turkish coating distinctive. Cornmeal, alone or mixed with flour, is what gives this particular crunch.

Can you make the onion salad ahead of time?

Yes, make it up to an hour ahead, it actually improves. Beyond that, the onions release too much water and the salad turns watery.

Why bone the anchovies yourself?

Whole fresh anchovies let you butterfly the fish into a thin, even layer that cooks quickly and evenly. Pre filleted fish would give a thicker, less characteristic texture.

How long does it take to make Turkish fried anchovies with onion salad?

Count 35 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in Turkish fried anchovies with onion salad?

About 480 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does Turkish fried anchovies with onion salad cost?

About €3.40 per serving, or €13.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, fish. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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