Boquerones en vinagre are a type of appetizer or

tapa Tapa, TAPA, Tapas or Tapasya may refer to: Media *Tapas (website), a webtoon site, formerly known as Tapastic * ''Tapas'' (film), a 2005 Spanish film * ''Tapasya'' (1976 film), an Indian Hindi-language film * ''Tapasya'' (1992 film), a Nepalese f ...

found in Spain.Boquerones en Vinagre (Andalusia recipe in English: Anchovies in Vinegar)
/ref> The central ingredient of the dish is the ''boquerones'', fresh

anchovies An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...

. The fillets are marinated in

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

or a mixture of

and

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

, and seasoned with

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

and

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum''), is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalisation (biology), naturalized in Eur ...

. It is commonly served with

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

soft drinks A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a class of non-alcoholic drink, usually (but not necessarily) carbonated, and typically including added sweetener. Flavors used to be natural, but now can also be artificial. The sweet ...

, or

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

Characteristics and presentation

Fresh

anchovy An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the Family (biology), family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 speci ...

fillets, which initially have a brown-colored meat, are cleaned, de-scaled, and submerged in a bath of salt and water for 3 hours and

for 6 hours in a cool place. The fillets slowly turn white as the vinegar reacts with the fish. Once having gone through this process and the liquid has been drained, they are seasoned with minced

, and

. An alternative preparation is to submerge the fillets in a mixture of 3:1 of vinegar and

(it can be replaced by

sunflower oil Sunflower oil is the non-volatile oil pressed from the seeds of the sunflower (''Helianthus annuus''). Sunflower oil is commonly used in food as a frying oil, and in cosmetic formulations as an emollient. Sunflower oil is primarily compos ...

), already seasoned with garlic, parsley, and salt, for two days. They are served cold with

rather than

since they already contain vinegar and sugar. The dish is popular as a tapa in Spain and served in restaurants and bars, especially during the hottest summer months. They are garnished with capers or olives and accompanied by potato chips. The prepared fish can be bought commercially (cleaned, deboned, with vinegar), requiring only additional garlic and parsley.

Health concerns

Anchovies An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...

can concentrate

domoic acid Domoic acid (DA) is a kainic acid-type neurotoxin that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). It is produced by algae and accumulates in shellfish, sardines, and anchovies. When sea lions, otters, cetaceans, humans, and other predators eat cont ...

, which causes

amnesic shellfish poisoning Amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) is an illness caused by consumption of shellfish that contain the marine biotoxin called domoic acid. In mammals, including humans, domoic acid acts as a neurotoxin Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive ...

in humans, sea mammals, and birds. If suspected, medical attention should be sought. Anchovies also contain a high level of uric acid, a build-up of which can cause the inflammatory condition known as

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

. Spanish health laws require the previous freezing of the anchovies when prepared in vinegar to avoid the survival of any ''

Anisakis ''Anisakis'' ( ) is a genus of parasitic nematodes that have life cycles involving fish and marine mammals. They are infective to humans and cause #Anisakiasis, anisakiasis. People who produce immunoglobulin E in response to this parasite may su ...

'' larvae, even though this parasite is rarely found off Spanish coasts.

References

{{reflist Andalusian cuisine Appetizers Greek cuisine Turkish cuisine Uncooked fish dishes Anchovy dishes Tapas Spanish seafood dishes

Characteristics and presentation

Health concerns

See also

References