Sicilian-inspired Fried Cauliflower with Anchovies and Lemon
On my recent trip to Italy, we were surrounded by amazing cauliflowers (many of which were purple), lemons and fresh anchovies. The flavours were so much more complex and interesting than I anticipated. For one lunch, we were served steamed cauliflower with olive oil. I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. In Sicily, we enjoyed the most amazing freshly fried fish, which was a standout meal from the trip. Back home, I wanted to try to mix these two concepts, and this is the result. Lovely to serve with drinks. Just make sure you have plenty of napkins to hand!
Sicilian-inspired Fried Cauliflower with Anchovies and Lemon
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 cauliflower, cut into small florets
50g fresh anchovies, chopped
Zest of a lemon
100g self-raising flour
Salt and pepper
1 egg
75ml very cold water (use sparkling if you like)
Neutral oil, to fry
To serve
Lemon aioli
30g fresh Parmesan, finely grated (optional)
Lemon wedges
Method
Start by boiling the cauliflower in salted water for 5 minutes until just tender. Drain and set aside in bowl and add the anchovies and lemon zest.
In a separate small bowl, whisk the flour, seasoning, egg and water together to form a batter.
To cook the fritters, heat the oil in a pan to 180C. I like to ensure the pan has at least 5cm of oil in the bottom of the pan.
Mix the batter and cauliflower together just before cooking, stirring until each floret is evenly coated.
Spoon the florets and anchovies into the hot oil and fry for 3-5 minutes until crisp and browned. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm until serving with aioli, grated Parmesan and lemon wedges.
With my thanks to I Love Fruit and Veg from Europe for organising and hosting this visit, which I attended as their guest.