Liguria and Piedmont — the anchovy connection between the two regions via the ancient salt routes (the Via del Sale) between the Ligurian coast and the Piedmontese plains.
Salt-cured anchovy fillets marinated in a vivid green sauce of parsley, garlic, capers, olive oil, and wine vinegar — served cold as an antipasto on toasted bread or crushed with potato. The technique is common to both Liguria and Piedmont, where the 'bagna' tradition of anchovy preparations is strongest. The acid in the vinegar lightens the anchovies' saline intensity; the parsley and garlic bring herbal freshness; the oil carries everything. A preparation that costs almost nothing and tastes exceptional.
The acid in the vinegar softens the anchovy's harsh edge and brightens the parsley-garlic sauce. The result is intensely savoury but not aggressive — the olive oil rounds everything. On toasted bread, this is one of the simplest and best things in Italian cooking.
The quality of the anchovies is everything — use salt-packed Sicilian or Cantabrian anchovies, desalted in cold water for 15 minutes and carefully filleted. The parsley must be flat-leaf, very fresh, very finely chopped — not blended, which turns it grey. Garlic is crushed and left whole in the marinade rather than minced, so the flavour is present but not sharp. Good red wine vinegar (not white wine vinegar) and Ligurian or similar fruity olive oil. Marinate at least 2 hours; overnight is better — the acid cooks the anchovy slightly and deepens the flavour integration.
A pinch of chilli flakes (in the Piedmontese tradition) adds warmth without competing. The green sauce can also be used as a condiment for boiled meats (bollito misto) — it is one of the classic accompaniments in that tradition. Make extra — it keeps refrigerated for a week and the flavour improves.
Using oil-packed tinned anchovies rather than salt-packed — the flavour is less complex and they don't absorb the marinade the same way. Mincing the garlic — creates a sharper, more aggressive flavour. Using low-quality vinegar — cheap malt vinegar turns the sauce harsh. Not allowing enough marinating time — the flavours remain separate rather than integrated.
Giorgio Locatelli, Made in Italy; Slow Food Editore, Liguria in Cucina