Sicilian White Anchovy Crostini - Chef Recipe by Bruno Conti

Ingredients

Crostini:

1 loaf of good quality gluten-free bread
200g marinated white anchovies
2 oranges
20 salted capers
Bunch of dill
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Pinch of Salt

Pickled Fennel:

2 fennel bulbs
1L white wine vinegar
50g honey
12 pink peppercorns
Pinch of fennel seeds

Method

Wrap the bread in cling wrap and refrigerate overnight, it will be easier to slice with a knife the following day.

Cut thin crostini slices, remove crust and cut each slice in half diagonally to make triangles.

Bake for 20 minutes in the oven at 140 C with a bit of salt and olive oil.

They will stay nice and crispy for one to two days.

Pickled Fennel:

Use a mandolin to finely slice fennel.

To pickle, bring while wine vinegar, honey, pink peppercorns and fennel seeds to the boil. Once the liquid is hot, pour over the sliced fennel in a heat-proof bowl, cover and place in the fridge for a couple of hours until cold.

The fennel will be pickled but still have a crunchy texture.

Desalt capers under running water, dry with a paper towel and fry with vegetable oil over a medium heat until they open up and become nice and crispy.

Peel oranges and cut into segment, if they are in season use blood oranges.

Clean fresh anchovies, place face up on a tray and cover with white wine vinegar and spices for 20 minutes.

Dry and keep them in oil to preserve, you can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar.

To Serve:

Place the crostini on a plate or wooden board.

Remove pickling liquid and dry fennel on a paper towel.

Place on top of crostini, add three or four marinated white anchovies on top, then an orange segment, fried capers and olive oil.

Garnish with dill tips and a good drizzle of olive oil.