My Dad's Salted Anchovies

a week has passed since Walter Minniti (my father) passed away at the age of 91. These days the memories are many and among many are gastronomic ones, yes because if I am an entrepreneur in food it is also "because of" both.

salted anchovies were a summer ritual, as was the autumn ritual of hand-crushed green olives. The fresh catch was booked at the trusted fisherman by the box, the freshly landed anchovies are cleaned and gutted by hand under running fresh water and left there a few hours. Meanwhile, coarse sea salt in 5 kg bags is ready to be used. The now-opened anchovies resemble a small cutlet of fresh fish, so they are sold one by one placed "nto salaturi" (3-liter glass or earthenware jars with their screw-on lids) so as to create a layer, then salt, then yet another layer, and then like that... To fill the container...attention and meticulous placement punctuate the time that passes and the summer ritual that takes place..the layers are well pressed on top of each other in until coarse salt galore and the cap!

the maturation takes months, the waiting increases the gluttony but here do is open a jar rinsed a fillet and put in olive oil the miracle of taste is accomplished.

Thank you Walter for teaching me this too.

Anchovy fillets