Hamsi Tava (Turkish Crispy Anchovies)
Little fresh anchovies, coated in cornmeal and fried until crisp, with a sharp sumac and onion salad. Sprats or whitebait work too.
- Time30 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £2.00 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- 505kcal
- 21.9gcarbs
- 3.7gof which sugars
- 33.6gfat
- 9.2gsaturates
- 30.7gprotein
- 2.2gfibre
- 2.0gsalt
A rough estimate worked out from the ingredients, for the serving size above. It is a guide only and not medical advice. If you count carbs or manage diabetes, check with your own tools and your care team.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
If the anchovies are larger than your finger, snip off the heads and pull out the guts with them. Tiny ones can go in whole. Rinse and pat very dry.
- 2
Toss the onion with the parsley, sumac, juice of half a lemon and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- 3
Mix the cornmeal, salt, pepper and chilli flakes in a shallow dish.
- 4
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat until a pinch of cornmeal sizzles at once.
3 min - 5
Roll a handful of fish in the cornmeal, shake off the extra and fry for 2 minutes each side until golden and crisp. Do 3 batches, wiping the pan between batches if it gets dark.
4 min - 6
Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with the onion salad and lemon wedges.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
