Anchovy Gratin

You know when you go to a good fish market and you just see the beautiful array of fresh fish with sparkling eyes and bright gills accompanied by the fresh smell of the ocean?  Well, I didn’t get these anchovies at one of those markets. I was in the supermarket and had a yearning for fish, but the area for fish was depressing. The fish were all so dull and dry and old and everything stank. But I saw these cleaned anchovies and thought oh why not. I got 150g for €1.50 -- why not, right?

I've always had anchovies either in the form of a gratin or in a tin.  Many people dislike the latter, but it's quite nice to use instead of salt.

So this gratin.  It's easy, it's versatile.  Omit the chili, add some capers, some olives, some sun-dried tomatoes.  If the fish is fresh, it's excellent.  If it's not, you may need to bake it for longer but it will still taste good.  This makes a good appetizer. 

Serves 1
Ingredients
150g anchovies
3 sprigs of parsley
½ garlic clove
70g of bread, or breadcrumb
1 tsp chili (more if desired)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C.

Clean and take he head off the anchovies.

Oil the bottom of a baking tray and place the anchovies on top in a single layer, closely aligned. Sprinkle a little bit of salt on them.

In a food processor, put all the rest of the ingredients in. It should form a paste and put the paste evenly on top of the fish. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until golden on top.