Hamsi Tava in the air fryer is my version of a dish that tastes of one very particular place. Along Turkey’s Black Sea coast, the small anchovies known as hamsi are the pride of the whole region, and the best-loved way of eating them is as tava: butterflied fish coated in cornmeal and laid tightly in a circle, so they cook together into one golden, crispy disc.
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Traditionally, this is done in a pan with plenty of fat. Here, the fish are brushed with olive oil instead and cooked in a round dish that fits in the basket. You get the crispy cornmeal crust and the juicy fish inside, but with far less oil and without the smell of frying hanging over the whole kitchen. Lemon, red onion and rocket belong alongside the fish when they come to the table.
Table of Contents
Why I love Hamsi Tava in the air fryer
Small fish are among the most rewarding things you can put in an air fryer. They are thin, they cook quickly, and the skin turns crispy before the flesh has time to dry out. In Hamsi Tava, the fish also lie so tightly together that the outside turns crunchy from the cornmeal, while the flesh inside stays juicy.
I also like how simple the dish is: fish, fine yellow cornmeal, salt and olive oil. Fresh anchovies can be hard to find in Denmark, but fresh sprats are the closest substitute and are prepared in exactly the same way. Small sardines can also be used; scrape the scales off them and give them 1-2 minutes longer on each side.
The difference between an air fryer and a frying pan
In a pan, Hamsi Tava is fried in plenty of oil or butter, and the fish are flipped using a lid or a plate. In the air fryer, the hot air does most of the work, so I make do with brushing the dish and the fish with a thin layer of olive oil. The flipping is the same, and the result is lighter than the pan version, but still with the golden crust that makes the dish something special.
My kitchen test of Hamsi Tava
I have tested Hamsi Tava in my Cosori Dual Blaze, where a round dish of about 20 cm with a low rim fits in the basket. The heating elements sit both at the top and the bottom and give an even heat from both sides, but the fish still have to be flipped. At 200 °C the first side gets 7 minutes, until the fish are lightly golden around the edges. After flipping, they get 5 more minutes skin side up, until the skin is golden and crispy.
The 800 g of fish are cooked in two batches of 12 minutes each, so the cooking itself takes 24 minutes. Add 30 minutes for cleaning, butterflying and coating the fish in cornmeal, and you end up at 54 minutes in total. The cleaning is the biggest job, but it gets easier once you have got the hang of it.
Pat the fish completely dry before coating them in cornmeal, and lay them tightly in the dish. The drier they are, the crispier the crust will be, and when they lie tightly together, they cook together and can be flipped in one piece.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is buying salted anchovies from a jar or tin. They have been cured in salt and are both too salty and too soft to cook this way, so go for fresh anchovies, fresh sprats or small sardines. The second mistake is wet fish. If there is water on them after rinsing, the cornmeal clumps instead of turning into a crispy crust, so pat them completely dry with kitchen paper on both sides. The third mistake is laying the fish too far apart. If they lie loosely, they do not cook together, and then the circle falls apart when you flip the dish. Lay them tightly with the tails pointing towards the centre, let them overlap slightly, and close the gap in the middle with a couple of fish.
How to serve Hamsi Tava
Hamsi Tava should be eaten straight away, while the crust is crispy. Let the fish slide onto a serving platter, and put the accompaniments on the table:
- Lemon wedges, squeezed over the fish at the table
- Red onion in thin rings, preferably with a sprinkle of sumac
- Fresh rocket as a peppery, green counterweight
- Cornbread or a good white bread
- Pul biber (Turkish chilli flakes) over the finished fish
Storage and reheating
Hamsi Tava is best on the same day, and preferably straight from the air fryer. If you have leftovers, they keep covered in the fridge for up to 1 day. Reheat them in the air fryer at 180 °C for 3-4 minutes, until the fish are crispy again. The dish is not suitable for freezing, so it is better to halve the recipe if there are fewer of you at the table.
Hamsi Tava in the air fryer shows that the simplest dishes are often the best. With fresh small fish, cornmeal and a little patience, you get a piece of the Black Sea coast on your table. Try it the next time the fishmonger has fresh anchovies or sprats.
FAQ
Yes. Fresh sprats are the closest substitute and are prepared in exactly the same way. Salted anchovies from a jar or tin, on the other hand, cannot be used.
Use fine, yellow cornmeal, not cornstarch and not coarse polenta. Cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, but choose a bag labelled gluten-free if this is important to you.
Recipe
Hamsi Tava in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Round pan - 20 cm
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Paper towel
- 1 Deep plate
- 1 Brush
- 1 Plate
- 1 Serving platter
Shopping list
Ingredients
How to make it
Preparation
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C fan.
- Brush a round, low-sided dish (about 20 cm in diameter) that fits in the air fryer basket with a little of the 3 tbsp olive oil.
- Brush the top of the fish with a thin layer of oil.
- Place the dish in the basket and cook the fish at 200 °C for 7 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges.
- Carefully take the hot dish out, place a plate on top and turn the dish over so the fish end up together on the plate. Slide them back into the dish with the skin side up, and brush with oil.
- Cook the fish at 200 °C for 5 more minutes, until the skin is golden and crispy.
Our notes for the recipe
Only use fresh fish. Salted anchovies from a jar or tin cannot be used for Hamsi Tava; they are cured in salt and are both too salty and too soft to cook this way. Pat the fish completely dry before coating them in cornmeal, and lay them tightly together so they cook as one piece and can be flipped in one go. If a few fish fall out of the circle when you flip it, simply push them back into place. Choice of fish:
Fresh anchovies can be hard to find, depending on where you live. Fresh sprats are the closest substitute and are prepared in exactly the same way. Scrape the scales off small sardines and cook them 1-2 minutes longer on each side. Cornmeal:
Use fine, yellow cornmeal, not cornstarch and not coarse polenta. Cornmeal is naturally gluten-free; choose a bag labelled gluten-free if this is important to you. Variation:
Traditionally, Hamsi Tava is fried in a pan with plenty of oil or butter, and the fish are flipped using a lid or a plate. Feel free to sprinkle a little sumac over the red onions, or pul biber (Turkish chilli flakes) over the finished fish. Serving:
Serve with lemon wedges, red onion and rocket, and put cornbread or some good white bread on the table. Portion size:
The recipe is cooked in two batches in a dish about 20 cm across. If you have a large air fryer with room for a 24-26 cm dish, all the fish can be cooked at once; allow a couple of minutes longer in total.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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