Boquerones al limon

Next trip to Spain has been booked and I'm eagerly counting days down. In the meanwhile it's time to relax (and plan what to pack and what food to make and where to go and where to eat and what to eat and what to bring back and...)

One thing is sure: I will be eating these again. 

Boquerones, those small anchovies are, especially prepared like this, typical to Malaga region. On the blog they've made an appearance in Marbella post. Just like boquerones en vinagre, these too can be made with any small fish, such as European cisco.

For flour you can use either all purpose or chickpea flour, in which case these are gluten-free. 

I learnt somewhere that when cooking fish (and especially calamari and chipirones) the key is to let it sit in the flour for half an hour before shaking off the excess and frying as this really helps absorb the moisture and ensure a crispy coating.

As tapas this is enough for 4

500 gr fresh anchovies
2 lemons, zest and juice
a couple of dl flour
salt, pepper

oil for frying

Clean the fish (instruction here) and pat the fillets dry.Grate and juice the lemons. Layer the fish with lemon juice into a dish and let marinate for an hour. Then toss in flour seasoned with salt, pepper and finely grated lemon zest (and if you have time, let them sit there for half an hour). Shake off excess flour and fry in batches in hot oil. Drain on kitchen towel before serving.