Golden tips from a 25-year-old fisherman: How to cook anchovies perfectly?

With the start of the fishing season, the abundance of anchovies filling the stalls has brought cooking techniques back to the forefront. With 25 years of experience, fisherman Hayrullah Kır from Düzce answered the question, "How do you cook the most delicious anchovies?"

“THIS YEAR IS THE YEAR OF ANCHOR”

Hayrullah Kır, long known for his mastery of fish cooking, has described this year's season as the "year of the anchovy." Kır, noting that corn flour is what gives anchovies their true flavor, said, "To cook a good anchovy, we flour our fish. It's the flour that gives the fish its flavor. Fish shouldn't be placed in the pan without flouring. We use corn flour. Fish tastes better with corn flour."

Kır emphasized that flour makes the anchovy crispy on the outside while preserving its inner texture, so the best choice is corn flour.

“COOKING TIME 6 MINUTES”

Kır also touched on the ideal cooking time for anchovies: "The cooking time for anchovies is six minutes. It varies depending on whether you prefer them rarer or more fried, but the average is six minutes. You can already tell if the fish is cooked through. You flip it once it's done, and the rest is pretty easy."

Kır said, "There should be less oil in the fish. Some of our women add a lot of oil, but we definitely don't recommend it. If there's less oil, the fish's own oil will come out anyway."

“LITTLE FAT, FULL CONSISTENCY AND PERFECT TASTE”

According to Kır, the key to making delicious anchovies is fresh fish, corn flour, and a little oil. Kır noted that using too much oil in the pan ruins the fish's natural flavor, and caution during cooking directly affects the anchovies' flavor.

Source: IHA