Anchovies with rice and salad

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 500 g anchovies (fresh or frozen)
• 100 g flour
• Pinch of chili flakes
• 1 tsp basil (level)
• ½ tsp salt, for the fish
• 200 g rice (I always use Basmati)
• 60 g butter
• 2 tbsp noodles, (vermicelli, Tel-Sehriye)
• 1 tsp salt, for the rice
• 600 ml water, cold
• ½ iceberg lettuce
• 1 m.-sized tomato(s)
• ½ cucumber(s)
• 2 small onions, OR:
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• ½ lemon(s)
• 3 tbsp olive oil, for the salad
• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil, for the salad
• Oil for frying the fish
• ½ tbsp salt, for the salad
• lemon(s)
• curly parsley

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

Pilavli Hamsi-Tava and Salata

Wash and drain the anchovies. They say they don’t need to be gutted, but I feel better if I do. Hold the fish by the tail and prick the belly roughly in the middle with your thumb and index finger, about 2-3 mm deep. Hold on, and pull the innards from the belly toward the head. If done correctly, the innards and the inside of the head will come off. If you don’t succeed, scrape out the innards with your nail. Repeat with all the fish. Choose a comfortable sitting position, as gutting can take some time. Then wash the fish until the water runs clear. Now wash the lettuce and tomatoes and chop them finely (with the seeds). Peel the cucumber and cut them into semicircles (with the seeds). Also cut the onions into semicircles, or cut the spring onions into rings and mix them in a salad bowl. Squeeze the lemon and set aside. Don’t season the salad yet, because then it will lose water. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the vermicelli, and fry over high heat (I have a stove with 9 settings and fry at 7). When they have turned a brown color, add the rice and fry for about 2 minutes. First add the water and then the salt to the pot, stir, and bring to a boil. Once the water boils, put the lid on the pot, reduce the heat to half, and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Don’t open the lid too often, as this will cause excessive heat loss. When holes appear in the rice, the rice is ready. Meanwhile, salt the fish, add the chili flakes, and basil, and coat in flour. Heat the pan and add oil for frying. Don’t set the frying temperature too high, or the fish will burn. I use level 6 on my stove. If you coat the fish in flour and fry them in batches, the rice will be ready almost at the same time. Now add the rapeseed and olive oil, salt, and the squeezed lemon to the salad and mix well. Arrange the fish, rice, and salad on a plate, garnish with lemon and parsley, and serve. This is a delicious summer dish.