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    Home » Appetizers » Carciofi fritti alla Romana, Roman-style fried artichokes

    Published: Feb 10, 2022 · Modified: Feb 10, 2022 by Nicoletta · 6 Comments

    Carciofi fritti alla Romana, Roman-style fried artichokes

    • 1
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    Roman-style fried artichokes-pin image

    Carciofi fritti alla Romana, Roman-style fried artichokes, are a popular and loved appetizer/street food/side dish in Rome. Artichoke wedges, battered and fried, are easy to make, tasty, and quick.

    Song of the day: Back To The Future - Bastille

    Carciofi-fritti-alla-Romana-on-the-platter-with-lemon

    Carciofi/artichokes

    Artichokes are a staple of the Roman cuisine. In the winter, farmers markets show an abundace of them and they are a popular food item on Roman tables. There are different types of artichokes, the "romanesco" or otherwise called "mammola" being the most loved and exclusive. It has a round, big head and almost or no choke at all. Choke being the inside beard that when cleaning the artichokes, you have to remove. They are tender and used to make the stewed "carciofi alla romana", "carciofi alla giudia", and also "carciofi fritti", the fried artichokes I am sharing today.

    Carciofi-fritti-alla-Romana-two artichokes

    How to clean artichokes

    Clean the artichokes well by removing the hardest outer leaves. With a knife cut the stem almost completely, then cut the tips on the top of the leaves. Wash them and place them in a bowl with water and a squeezed lemon. Throw the lemon in, too.

    Carciofi-fritti-alla-Romana-feature-cleaned-artichokes-in-water-with-lemon

    Then, cut them in half, clean the beard in the middle, and cut them into wedges, not too thick. Let them sit in the water with lemon while you make the batter. You can use part of the stem, too, the part closer to the artichoke. Just peel it and cut in rounds or long matches.

    Carciofi fritti - the batter

    In a bowl whisk the eggs with the water, then slowly add the sifted flour, then add the extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix everything well until creamy and smooth. Let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. After that, drain the artichokes and dry with a paper towel.

    Carciofi-fritti-alla-Romana-feature-the-batter

    After the 30 minutes, take the batter our of the fridge, give a little stir, and place some artichoke wedges into the batter. Toss to cover them, and leave them in the batter while the oil comes to temperature.

    Frying the artichokes

    Add enough oil so that the artichokes are covered. We like to use peanut oil for frying because it is more resistant at high temperatures. Heat the oil until quite hot (160°-180°C), then, with a fork, grab one of the wedges at a time, allow the excess batter to drip off, and place in the oil carefully. Do the same with other wedges, but spread them well, do not overcrowd the pan. Work in batches, if needed. Let them cook on one side, then turn them and cook on the other side. Flip them over as much as needed, they have to be evenly golden.

    If you have a deep fryer, go for it, they will be ready in minutes and perfectly crispy. You could also use a tall pan, so the artichokes will be submerged in oil, or a frying pan, as my dad likes to use. You can see from the picture that my dad doesn't like to use a lot of oil, it still works, but requires a little more attention and effort.

    Drain them with a skimmer and place them on a paper towel lined platter or brown paper bag to absorb excess oil.
    Lastly, transfer them to a serving platter, salt lightly, and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

    Carciofi fritti - what to serve them with

    If you're in a Roman pizzeria, you can order fried artichokes and it would most likely come with other fried foods like supplì, potato croquettes, and fiori di zucca. After the fried appetizer platter, you would be ready to order your pizza, pizza capricciosa being one of the most popular.

    At home, they would be a great side dish to some traditional Roman dishes: abbacchio al forno con patate (roasted lamb and potatoes), or fettine alla pizzaiola (thin slices of tender beef in tomato sauce).

    Carciofi-fritti-alla-Romana-feature-one-in-my-hand

    These Carciofi fritti alla Romana (Roman-style fried artichokes) are a great finger food. Very addictive, they have a light and crispy coating and when you bite in the artichoke is tender and full of umami flavor.

    Try them, they are irresistible, you won't stop at just one.

    Types of artichokes you can use

    • You can use baby artichokes, if you can find them. Of course, use more than two for this recipe.
    • You could also use the canned ones packed in water. Drain them, dry them, and proceed as explained.
    • If your only alternative are the larger ones, be prepared to remove a lot of the outer leaves to get to that tender center. And also remember, they have a large choke in the middle.
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    Carciofi fritti alla Romana-feature-on the platter with lemon

    Carciofi fritti alla Romana (Roman-style fried artichokes)


    ★★★★★

    5 from 3 reviews

    • Author: Nicoletta
    • Total Time: 1 hour
    • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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    Description

    Carciofi fritti alla Romana, Roman-style fried artichokes, are a popular and loved appetizer/street food/side dish in Rome. Artichoke wedges, battered and fried, are easy to make, tasty, and quick. 


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2 artichokes
    • 1 egg
    • 100 g cold sparkling water
    • 125 g flour, sifted
    • 2 tablespoons evo oil
    • salt & pepper to taste
    • peanut oil or any other oil you like, for frying
    • lemon for the water and for serving

    Instructions

    1. Clean the artichokes well by removing the hardest outer leaves. With a knife cut the stem almost completely, then cut the tips on the top of the leaves. Wash them and place them in a bowl with water and a squeezed lemon. Throw the lemon in, too.
    2. Then, cut them in half, clean the beard in the middle, and cut them into wedges. Let them sit in the acidulated water while you make the batter. You can use part of the stem, too, the part closer to the artichoke. Just peel it and cut in rounds or long matches.
    3. In a bowl whisk the eggs with the water, then slowly add the flour, the extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix everything well until creamy and smooth. Cover, and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
    4. Drain the artichokes and dry with a paper towel.
    5. After the 30 minutes, take the batter our of the fridge, give a little stir, and place some artichoke wedges into the batter. Toss to cover them, and leave them in the batter while the oil comes to temperature.
    6. Add enough oil so that the artichokes are covered. Heat the oil until quite hot, then with a fork, grab one of the wedges, allow the excess batter to drip off and place in the oil carefully. Spread them well, do not overcrowd the pan. Work in batches. Let them cook on one side, then turn them and cook on the other side. Flip them over as mush as needed, they have to be evenly golden brown.
    7. Drain them with a skimmer and place them on a paper towel lined platter or brown paper bag to absorb excess oil,
    8. Lastly, transfer them to a serving platter, salt lightly, and serve immediately, with lemon wedges on the side.

    Notes

    You can use baby artichokes, if you can find them. Of course, use more than two for this recipe.

    You could also use the canned artichokes packed in water. Drain them, dry them, and proceed as explained.

    If your only alternative are the larger artichokes, be prepared to remove a lot of the outer leaves to get to that tender center. And also remember, they have a large choke in the middle.

    • Prep Time: 45 minutes
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Category: Appetizer
    • Method: Frying
    • Cuisine: Italian

    Keywords: carciofi, artichokes, batter, fried, roman, rome, italian, classic, appetizer, side dish, vegetarian

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @sugarlovespices on Instagram and hashtag it #sugarlovespices

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    • 1

    Loreto

    When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment. Dig deeper →

    Nicoletta

    I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul. Dig deeper →

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Allyssa says

      February 10, 2022 at 6:54 am

      Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nicoletta says

        February 10, 2022 at 10:09 am

        Thank you for trying our artichokes! They are really really tasty 😉

        Reply
    2. Linda says

      February 10, 2022 at 11:36 pm

      I've never tried artichokes in this version and this one is so good!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nicoletta says

        February 11, 2022 at 5:38 am

        They are crispy yet tender and very tasty, hope you try them! Thank you!

        Reply
    3. Liz says

      February 12, 2022 at 11:07 am

      I love artichokes! I have never tried fried artichokes, but what a great idea! Anything fried is delicious! 😉 Will have to give this recipe a try!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nicoletta says

        February 19, 2022 at 12:04 am

        Ohhh they are so delicious! Hope you try it!

        Reply

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    Hi! We are Loreto and Nicoletta, the foodie duo behind Sugar Love Spices. We love creating in the kitchen using seasonal good quality ingredients that we believe are key to the success of every meal. Come with us as we share traditional Italian recipes and so much more. Having fun in the kitchen is very important to us, and want to share that light heartedness with you. Nicoletta will help you with the sweet things, and I Loreto like to spice things up. Dig deeper →

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