Hamsi Tava

If you love seafood, then you will love our kalamar tava (fried calamari) and our whole baked sea bass recipe too! And you can serve all these with our favorite side dishes for fish.

Hamsi Tava is one of the most popular fish recipes in Turkish cuisine. It's a simple, tasty recipe that many people in Turkey love. Hamsi are small fresh anchovies, and in this dish, they're coated with a bit of cornmeal (or regular flour) and fried until they're crispy.

In Turkey, especially near the Black Sea (Karadeniz), fresh anchovies are super popular. When it's anchovy season, they are sent to all the cities around the country from this region.

You'll find hamsi fish in all kinds of dishes, but Hamsi Tava is one of the most common and loved ways to eat them.

What is Hamsi Tava?

Hamsi Tava is a simple, traditional dish from Turkey. Hamsi means anchovies and "tava" means both pan and fried food. So "hamsi tava" means fried anchovies.

Anchovies are tiny, only a few inches long, and are caught in the Black Sea. In this dish, the hamsi are covered in a light layer of cornmeal and then fried in a pan. They become crispy and delicious.

This dish has been around for a long time in Turkey. It started as a popular meal for fishermen and people living near the Black Sea. They used the fresh hamsi they caught to make a quick and tasty meal. Over time, it became a favorite across the country, especially in coastal areas.

In different parts of Turkey, people make Hamsi Tava in their own way. But, no matter where you are in Turkey, this dish is loved during winter months.

About the Ingredients

For this hamsi tava recipe, you only need three ingredients (plus salt); fresh anchovies, cornmeal, and frying oil.

• Anchovies (Hamsi): Use fresh gutted whole anchovies or fresh anchovy fillets (when the bone is removed). The bones in these fish are incredibly tiny and edible, so you really don’t need to remove them. And if you ask “Can I use canned or jarred anchovies to make this recipe?”, the answer is a big no. You have to use fresh anchovies here.
• Cornmeal: Cornmeal (not cornflour) is a great product that will help you get super crispy and beautifully golden pieces. You can use all purpose flour instead, but we always find that cornmeal makes the fried anchovies or any small fish lighter and crispier. We coat calamari rings with cornmeal for the exact same reason. 
• Oil to fry: Finally, you will need some frying oil. We'd recommend getting a neutrally-flavored oil like sunflower or vegetable oil. They are also much more affordable. Otherwise, you can use olive oil if you want to.

Canned Anchovies vs Fresh Anchovies

So what are fresh anchovies? Can we use canned anchovies to make this Turkish anchovy recipe? Let’s find answers to these questions.

Canned anchovies (similar to jarred anchovies) are usually packed in sunflower oil or olive oil and salt-cured. They are often used on pizzas, in salads or pasta dishes. You can’t fry canned anchovies. 

Fresh anchovies, on the other hand, can only be found at your local fish market or at the fresh fish section at big markets. It is a quite common fish in Turkey, Greece, Spain and Italy. It might be challenging to find fresh anchovies in other parts of the world. But still there are companies importing fresh anchovies from these countries, so it’s better to ask your fishmonger.  

Fresh anchovies are often sold gutted and you can find them whole or in fillets. These are perfect for frying or baking. So fresh anchovies and canned anchovies are not the same and can’t be used interchangeably. 

How to Cook Hamsi

If you want to learn how to cook fresh anchovies, then this easy recipe is for you! You only need three ingredients (plus salt) and can make it in a couple of minutes! Serve these fried anchovies as-is or in sandwiches.

1. Prepare the hamsi and cornmeal: To start, make sure your anchovies are cleaned. Rinse the fresh anchovies under cold water and place them in a strainer to drain. Meanwhile, place the cornmeal on a plate or in a bowl and add sea salt or table salt. Mix them well to create a uniform seasoned mixture.

2. Coat the hamsi: Once your rinsed anchovies have properly drained, coat each one with the cornmeal mixture. Make sure to coat them well, then leave them in the cornmeal (or flour) until you are ready to fry them.

3. Prepare the oil: You can either shallow-fry or deep fry fresh anchovies. Heat some oil inside of a pan over medium-high heat. Test whether or not the oil is hot enough by adding a pinch of salt. If it starts sizzling immediately, the oil is hot enough and ready for frying.
4. Fry the hamsi: Fry the anchovies in your preheated oil for roughly 1 minute per side or until they are golden. As they are done, use a slotted spoon and transfer them onto paper towels to drain any excess oil.
5. Serve the hamsi tava: Enjoy your crispy fried anchovies with some freshly chopped parsley, lemon wedges, and sliced onions.

Variations

Hamsi Tava in Air Fryer

For this method, you can prepare the anchovies in the same way as we have described in our recipe above. In addition, you can spray them with oil on both sides and fry them in your preheated fryer for roughly 10 minutes at 350ºF (180ºC).

Then, turn them over or give the basket a shake. Allow them to cook for another 5 minutes or until they are well-crisped up!

Oven-Baked Hamsi:

To make oven-baked anchovies, simply place them in a baking pan or an oven tray and season them with salt, olive oil, and lemon juice. Optionally, you can add some minced garlic and parsley. Then, allow them to bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for roughly 30 minutes. Unlike fried anchovies, these are not crispy but develop a ton of flavor! 

Expert Tips

• If the fresh anchovies you buy are not cleaned or gutted, you can do it yourself. Remove the heads by pulling it down. Then using your thumb, pull the innards down to the tail. Their bones are edible, so you don't need to bother removing them.
• Make sure each fish is well coated with seasoned cornmeal or all purpose flour. Otherwise, your anchovies won’t fry evenly or be as crispy as desired.
• Cornmeal is not the same as corn flour. Cornmeal has a yellowish color and a coarse or fine texture while cornflour has a white color and a texture like regular white flour. Cornflour is also known as corn starch and often used for thickening sauces.
• Do not overcrowd your frying pan when cooking anchovies. This will cause some to overcook while others undercook.
• Keep in mind that these fish cook fast. They only need a minute per side! So, be careful not to overcook them, otherwise, they will get too crispy and you won’t be able to taste the meat.
• Once you have finished frying your anchovies, transfer them to a kitchen towel so that any excess oil can drain. Then, you can also sprinkle them with some more salt if needed.

Serving Suggestions

Hamsi Tava is very versatile when it comes to how it is served. Naturally, you can simply serve them alongside some lemon wedges and fresh parsley or a bowl of Turkish tomato salad or Mevsim Salatasi.

You can prepare a simple sauce with parsley, lemon juice, garlic and red pepper flakes, pul biber to pair with fried fresh anchovies. Another sauce that pairs well with hamsi tava is our amazing tarator sauce.

However, you can also make simple sandwiches with fried anchovies, onions, parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice. This is one of the traditional ways of eating anchovies in Turkey. And, you can also serve it alongside some of our other side dishes for fish.

FAQs

Other Seafood Recipes

• Kalamar Tava (Turkish Fried Calamari)
• Baked Sea Bass

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