Insalata di Fagioli con Alici e Erbe

2026-10-14 · Serves 4

Ingredients

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
3 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed, filleted, and chopped (or 6 oil-packed fillets, drained and chopped)
15 flat-leaf parsley sprigs, leaves only, finely chopped
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cups cooked Occhio della Capra, borlotti, or cranberry beans, drained
Salt and black pepper

Method

Warm the olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until it just starts to brown, about 3 minutes.
Add the anchovies and mash them into the oil with a wooden spoon. They melt in fast.
Stir in the parsley and vinegar. Cook about 5 minutes more.
Add the beans and stir to coat them in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, going easy on the salt.
Serve at room temperature.

At a Glance

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil		warm over medium, brown garlic 3 min	mash in until dissolved	cook 5 min	stir to coat	season, serve at room temperature
1 garlic clove	peel
3 salt-packed anchovies	rinse, fillet, chop
15 flat-leaf parsley sprigs	chop leaves fine
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cups cooked Occhio della Capra, borlotti, or cranberry beans	drain
salt and black pepper

Notes

Adapted from Judith Barrett, Fagioli: The Bean Cuisine of Italy (Rancho Gordo Press, 2023).

The anchovies dissolve into the warm oil and turn into seasoning, not fish. They give the beans a deep savory base, and the vinegar and parsley cut through it. Taste before you salt. The anchovies usually carry most of what the dish needs.

Room temperature is the point. Cold mutes the anchovy and the oil. Make it ahead and let it sit while you cook the rest of the meal.

Pairs with Fennel-Rosemary Pork Tenderloin. Lay the sliced pork over the beans so the meat juices run into the anchovy oil.