# Citrus-Cured Anchovies with Jalapeño and Cilantro

> Silvery anchovies get a bright vinegar-and-lime cure, then a gloss of olive oil, fresh jalapeño, and plenty of cilantro. Served cold, they’re tender, briny, and sharp—a simple lunch for the start of local anchovy season.

- URL: https://www.chezjk.com/recipes/quick-boquerones-pickled-anchovies-with-jalapeno-cilantro
- Author: Jonathan Katzman
- Cooked and photographed: 2023-05-12
- Recipe updated: 2026-10-23
- Serves: 4 light lunch servings
- Tags: gluten-free, paleo, dairy-free, nut-free, pescatarian

![Citrus-Cured Anchovies with Jalapeño and Cilantro](https://www.chezjk.com/api/images?path=9e5d6860-dd86-455e-b57b-e352c363fc57%2F389b9ebf5e537bb0.jpg)

## Citrus-Cured Anchovies with Jalapeño and Cilantro

The acid firms the delicate anchovy flesh while olive oil softens its sharpness. Fresh chile and cilantro keep the rich little fish bright and clean-tasting.

### Ingredients

- 1 lb cleaned, skin-on fresh anchovy fillets, commercially frozen under verified parasite-destruction conditions for raw consumption and thawed in the refrigerator
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 5 tbsp fresh lime juice, divided
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced into rings or half-moons
- 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender tips

### Instructions

1. Keep the anchovies cold while working. Check that heads, guts, backbones, and any noticeable pin bones have been removed; leave the silver skin intact. Pat dry.
2. Mix the vinegar, 4 tablespoons lime juice, water, and salt until the salt dissolves. Arrange the anchovies in a shallow glass or other nonreactive container and pour over the cure. The fish should be submerged; use a smaller container if needed.
3. Cover and refrigerate at 40°F / 4°C or below for 1–3 hours, gently redistributing once. Begin checking after 1 hour: the flesh should become opaque and lightly firm while remaining tender, with the silver skin intact. Thickness determines the curing time.
4. Drain thoroughly and discard the curing liquid. Gently dress the anchovies with the olive oil, remaining tablespoon lime juice, and sliced jalapeño. Taste and adjust the salt.
5. Fold in most of the cilantro just before serving, reserving a few leaves for the top. Serve cold with a little of the fresh dressing spooned around the fish.

### Notes

- Acid curing does not reliably kill parasites or harmful bacteria. Use fish from a supplier that can verify appropriate parasite-destruction freezing; ordinary fresh fish or an unverified home-freezer treatment is not equivalent.
- Keep the fish refrigerated throughout. People who are pregnant, immunocompromised, older, or otherwise at higher risk from foodborne illness should avoid raw or acid-cured fish.
- For less heat, remove the jalapeño seeds and inner ribs before slicing.

## Overall Timing / Workflow

Advance curing leaves only a quick dressing and garnish at lunchtime. Keeping the herbs separate preserves their color and freshness.

### Instructions

1. The day before, thaw the verified parasite-treated anchovies in the refrigerator in a covered container.
2. About 1½–3½ hours before lunch, inspect and clean the fillets, mix the cure, and refrigerate the fish in it.
3. While the fish cures, slice the jalapeño, pick and dry the cilantro, and chill the serving bowls.
4. At serving time, drain the anchovies, dress with olive oil and fresh lime, and add the cilantro.

## Plating

A shallow bowl catches the bright dressing and lets the silver fillets, green chile, and herbs remain visible.

### Instructions

1. Arrange the anchovies loosely in four chilled shallow bowls, allowing some fillets to curl and overlap with their silver skin facing up.
2. Distribute the jalapeño and dressing between the bowls. Scatter the reserved cilantro over the top and serve immediately.

## Leftover Path

Short, cold storage protects the delicate texture; the herbs are best refreshed rather than left to wilt in acid.

### Instructions

1. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a covered nonreactive container at 40°F / 4°C or below and eat within 24 hours.
2. Serve cold with fresh cilantro. Drain off excess liquid if the dressing has become watery, then add a small splash of olive oil.
3. Discard fish left at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour when the temperature exceeds 90°F / 32°C.

### Notes

- The acid cure is for flavor and texture, not shelf-stable preservation.

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From ChezJK (https://www.chezjk.com), Jonathan Katzman's public home-cooking archive: every meal he has photographed, written up as a recipe you can cook.