Baked anchovy ("gavros") with potatoes

It’s that time of the year, once more, that finds us in beautiful Greece, right by the sea, with  the local markets overflowing with fish, tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplants. The fish truck makes its daily round near our place and the voice comes clear out of the loudspeaker “ψααάρια, έχω φρέσκα ψααάρια” (fish, I have fresh fish).  I had missed anchovy (gavros), which we only get to eat in Greece. This year, I was determined to find a recipe that my kids would enjoy. First time they’d eat “gavros”! I found a recipe that looked good at cookthebook and had no regrets.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound (1/2 kilo) anchovy
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 2 peeled potatoes, thinly sliced
• 2 long peppers, sliced, no seeds
• 1  bay leaf, cut in four
• 2 leaves of sage
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• juice from one lemon
• salt, pepper
• olive oil

How to make: Oil the bottom of a pan. Make a layer with the thinly sliced potatoes. Add the sliced tomatoes and peppers. Add salt, pepper, bay leaf and and sage. Add another layer of thinly sliced potatoes and top it with the onions. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 F/200 C  for about 20 minutes. While the potatoes are being baked, prepare the fish. Remove the heads and intestines and rinse well. Combine about 1/2 cup  olive oil with the lemon  juice, rosemary, and oregano. Combine the fish with the olive oil and lemon mix. When the potatoes have baked for 20 minutes, take the pan out of the oven. Spread the fish on top of the onion and pour all the olive and oil mix on top. Add salt and pepper and bake for another 20 minutes.

Notes and tips: You will need more potatoes if you use a large pyrex like I did. Be your own judge and adjust the spices accordingly. Before serving the kids, I removed the central bone from the fish because I didn’t think they would like to eat it or remove it themselves.