I love Boquerones

[eem]

Hi,

I lived in Granada in the early nineties and ate boquerones ALL THE TIME. They're one of my top favorite foods, fried with lemon wedge or in oil & vinegar (?). But....I never found out the name of those little fish in english - (sorry, I'm pretty seafood illiterate). Would someone please tell me if they are anchovies, sardines or something else?

I'm finally going to get some fresh anchovies and if the boquerones served in Andalucia are indeed anchovies then I would love to try my hand at this scrumptious treat. So..... does anyone know how to prepare them? They seemed like they were lightly coated with flour and fried

-in olive oil?

-pan-fried or deep fried?

-gutted?

Thanks a lot for anyone's help on this subject!

Elizabeth

Edited July 29, 2004 by eem (log)

[russ parsons]

they are pickled anchovies. mmmm. i get mine from la espanola, which is a local importer. but they do have a web presence. great on toasts dressed with a little minced garlic, parsley and olive oil.

[Bux]

As Russ says, they are anchovies. Boquerones which have a white flesh, from the vinegar pickling I assume, have a much shorter shelf life than the more familar browner Anchovies preserved in oil or salt. Good ones are a real treat. I've never found any commerically packaged pickled anchovies in the US that are quite as plump as the ones one eats in Spain. Then again, the ones I've found in NYC have all been imported from Italy. I have had a few prepared in kitchens of first class restaurants in NY, and they have been plump, mildly pickled and every bit as superb as the ones I've had in Spain.

[vserna]

A small point - 'boquerón' simply means 'anchovy' in Spanish. We use the term 'anchoa' only when they are cured in salt or oil (except in the Basque Country, where 'antxoa' is applied to all anchovies - fresh, cured or cooked.) So the 'boquerones en vinagre' are pickled anchovies, while 'boquerones fritos' are fresh anchovies that are rolled in coarse flour and deep-fried in olive oil, Andalusian style: they are a mainstay of a good platter of 'fritura', varied fried fish and squid. Over in Cantabria, on the northern Atlantic coast, the 'boquerón' is called 'bocarte', and the great Santander restaurateur Víctor Merino made the 'bocartada', a skillet-full of lightly braised anchovies with a little olive oil, parsley and lemon juice, one of his signature dishes.

[eem]

Thanks everyone for clarifying this for me! I live in Portland, OR and I can find boquerones en vinagre as well as my other Spanish favorite: the anchovy stuffed olive....yum...its juice would so improve a bloody mary. Bocartada....braised anchovies sound lovely!

Elizabeth

Edited July 29, 2004 by eem (log)

[Hungry Traveler]

...... while 'boquerones fritos' are fresh anchovies that are rolled in coarse flour and deep-fried in olive oil, Andalusian style

Ola Versna !

Thank Goodness for your reply.

Reading the other replies about "Boquerones" are pickled anchovies...

I thought I was losing my mind !!! :)

We enjoyed "Boquerones" in Andalusia (Marbella, Malaga, Torremolinos, etc.) many, many, times and they were NOT pickled ones !!!

Gracias, for clearing it up !!!

Edited July 29, 2004 by Hungry Traveler (log)