Spanish fried anchovies or boquerones fritos al limón are a simple yet delicious dish typically served as tapas. Originating from Andalusia in southern Spain, these fresh anchovies are lightly coated in flour and fried in olive oil until crisp. The result is a small fried fish, crispy from the outside and nice and tender on the inside. They are often served as an appetizer with lemon wedges for an extra burst of flavour.

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What are boquerones?

Boquerones, also known as European anchovies or Engraulis encrasicolus are small saltwater fish found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. In Spain, these fish are commonly referred to as boquerones, bocarte, or anchoas (the latter primarily in northern Spain). Most people are familiar with the salty anchovies used on pizza, which is just one of the various ways to prepare them.

Although boquerones fritos are popular throughout Spain, they are a traditional dish from the south, particularly one of the signature dishes of Málaga. They are typically served as a snack or tapas in bars or restaurants. In Málaga and nearby areas like Nerja, it’s very common to enjoy them on the beach at one of the many chiringuitos or beachfront restaurants, where they also prepare espetos or grilled sardines.

And what could be better on a warm day than savouring delicious fried anchovies on the beach in southern Spain with a refreshing drink? Spanish cuisine at its best.

Which ingredients to use

• Boquerones: Use either fresh or frozen boquerones, or anchovies of which I recommend using fresh.
• Olive oil: To make this recipe as traditional Spanish as possible, use extra virgin olive oil for frying.
• Flour: Use all-purpose flour to lightly coat the fish before frying.
• Seasoning: Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Lemon: Serve the fried fish with some lemon wedges to drizzle a few drops over the fish for extra freshness and to enhance the flavour.

Fresh or frozen boquerones

This recipe can be made with frozen boquerones as it might be difficult to source fresh boquerones or anchovies.

Frozen fish usually is already cleaned and gutted with head and tail removed. You might still need to remove the spine. To thaw the fish, place in the fridge for a few hours until you are ready to start preparing the dish. Take them from the fridge, rinse under cold water and pet properly dry with kitchen towel. Remove the spine if necessary.

Fresh fish usually needs to be cleaned and gutted, which you can do yourself by removing the head and cleaning out the innards and spine. Rinse under cold water and dry properly. Or ask your local fish monger to do the job for you.

How to make boquerones fritos

Note: All the exact quantities of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post

• Prepare the fish: Defrost the fish if needed, clean the anchovies by removing heads and innards. Rinse under cold running water. Do this fast to avoid deterioration of the fish.
• Dry the fish: Place the cleaned fish on a plate and dry well with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel.

• Bowl with flour: Add the flour in a shallow bowl or plate and combine with the salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil: Add the olive oil in a small to medium-sized skillet or heavy bottom frying pan. As we are frying the fish, the amount of oil should be around 1/2 inch (1cm) deep. So depending on the size of the pan, you’ll need more or less olive oil. Heat the oil to medium high heat (350℉ or 175℃).

• Coat and fry the fish: When the oil is hot, lightly coat the fish on all sides with the flour and gently pat to remove excess flour. Add the coated fish in the oil immediately until the pan is just full, but make sure not to overcrowd the pan.

• Remove from the pan and repeat: When golden and crispy, remove the fish from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil. And repeat until all the fish is fried.

Tips for making the best fried anchovies

• Make sure to properly dry: Make sure the fish is thoroughly dried with kitchen paper as moist fish can be difficult to fry properly. And it will make the oil splatter which can cause burn spots.
• Don’t leave the fish in the flour: It’s important that the flour does not get wet before frying. So work fast, lightly coat each of the fish and add to the hot oil. Don’t let the fish sit in the flour for too long as the flour will get wet and won’t crisp properly.
• Remove excess flour: Gently shake the dredged fish to remove excess flour.
• Heat olive oil: Add the fish to the oil only when it has reached medium-high heat. This ensures a crispy texture and prevents the fish from becoming greasy, as cooler oil will cause it to absorb excess fat. Hot oil also seals the surface instantly, locking in moisture and keeping the fish tender and juicy.
• Don’t fry too long: It’s a small fish that only needs a couple of minutes to get crispy and golden. Too long and the fish will be dry.
• Don’t overcrowd: Work in batches to maintain the oil at high temperature and for each fish to be able to properly fry.

Serving suggestions

Serve these fried boquerones traditionally with a few lemon wedges for drizzling and some slices of baguette. They are delicious as part of a tapas board together with other tapas like blistered pimientos de Padrón, chorizo in red wine, squid strips with lemon and garlic and slices of Spanish omelette.