I love this prepared in individual baking dishes, as described in the note below. But I know most people don’t have six such dishes, so I’m offering the recipe prepared in a single large baking dish—I don’t want you to miss out on the wonderful flavor of fresh anchovies just because you don’t have small baking dishes. If you serve the anchovies from a large round dish, cut them into wedges, like a cake. Don’t be alarmed if the “slices” crumble a little; that is the nature of the dish. You can easily prepare this recipe for two people: decrease the amount of anchovies by two-thirds to 1/2 pound, but cut the remaining ingredients in half.
To prepare this recipe in individual dishes, choose six 4-inch round or 3 x 4–inch rectangular baking dishes. Layer the ingredients into the dishes as described above. Place the baking dishes on a baking sheet to make them easier to remove from the oven.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Soak the anchovies briefly in cold water. Drain them and gently scrape the scales from the skin with the back of a paring knife. Remove the heads and innards as follows: Make a cut just behind the head, stopping about two-thirds of the way through to the stomach side. (Don’t completely cut off the head.) Pull the head away from the body gently with the knife; most of the innards should follow. Open up the anchovies by running your thumb along the inside of the stomach cavity. Remove the entire skeleton and scrape away any remaining innards or bones with the back of a paring knife. Wipe gently with a paper towel if you feel there is still some debris attached to the fillets. (Sardines are cleaned in the same way.)
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Drizzle a little olive oil into the bottom of an 11-inch oval or 10-inch round baking dish or casserole. Scatter six of the bay leaves over the bottom, and top with a thin but even layer of bread crumbs. Arrange one-third of the anchovy (or sardine) fillets over the bread crumbs, spacing them evenly. Sprinkle with seasoned bread crumbs, then scatter one-third of the halved tomatoes over the anchovies. Top the tomatoes with an even layer of bread crumbs. Scatter the remaining six bay leaves over that layer, then repeat the anchovy/bread-crumb, tomato/bread-crumb sequence, layering two more times with the remaining ingredients. Press the layered ingredients down gently with a spatula, drizzle the top layer with olive oil, and bake until the topping is golden brown and the anchovies are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
