Alici Marinate


By · April 28, 2026

Fresh anchovies cured in vinegar, then bathed in olive oil with garlic and parsley. A light, briny antipasto from Naples, Sicily, Puglia. Nothing like the salty packed kind. Eat with bread.

Alici Marinate

Fresh anchovies cured in vinegar, then bathed in olive oil with garlic and parsley. A light, briny antipasto from Naples, Sicily, Puglia. Nothing like the salty packed kind. Eat with bread.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g fresh anchovies (or sardines), gutted, headed, butterflied
  • 250 ml white wine vinegar
  • 125 ml water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
  • 125 ml good extra-virgin olive oil
  • Black pepper
  • 1 dried red chili (optional)

Method
 

  1. Clean the anchovies very well — pull off the head and run your thumb down the belly to butterfly and remove the spine. Rinse under cold water, pat dry.
  2. Lay the butterflied fish in a single layer in a shallow glass dish, skin-side down.
  3. Mix vinegar, water, and salt. Pour over the fish — they should be just covered. Refrigerate 6-12 hours. The flesh will turn opaque white, “cooking” in the acid.
  4. Drain off the vinegar mixture and pat the fish dry.
  5. Layer the anchovies in a clean glass container with the sliced garlic, parsley, and chili between layers. Pour olive oil over to cover completely. Black pepper.
  6. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. They keep for 4-5 days submerged in oil.
  7. Serve cold or room temp on small toasts, with a glass of crisp white wine.

Notes

Use the freshest anchovies you can find — supermarket frozen ones don’t work; you need them straight from a fishmonger. Fresh sardines work as a substitute.
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