Acciughe al Verde Piemontesi

Ingredients

• 200 g salt-packed anchovies, Cantabrian if available, Sicilian as Italian alternative
• 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, freshly chopped, not wilted
• 2 cloves garlic, raw, very finely minced or grated on a microplane
• 1 tbsp capers, Pantelleria salt-packed, rinsed
• 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil, abundant — fillets must be almost submerged

Method

1. 1
   Place the salt-packed anchovies in a bowl of cold water. Change the water twice over a minimum of 30 minutes. The fillets are sufficiently desalted when a small piece tasted at the tip is savoury but not brutally salty.
2. 2
   Lift each anchovy from the water, split it along the spine, and lift away the backbone cleanly. Pat the fillets dry with paper towel. They should be supple, intact, and without residual bone.
3. 3
   Chop the parsley finely. Mince or microplane the garlic to a near-paste. Rinse the capers. Combine parsley, garlic, and capers in a bowl and pour over the olive oil; stir to a rough, wet sauce. This is where the dish lives or dies: the garlic must dissolve into the oil as fragrance rather than identifiable pieces, and the oil must be abundant enough that the sauce pools freely in the bowl — not a dressing but an immersion.
4. 4
   Lay the anchovy fillets in a single layer on a small serving plate or shallow dish. Spoon the salsa verde over them generously so the fillets are almost submerged. Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving; the oil should be visibly green and fragrant with garlic.