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.
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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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Carciofi fritti alla Romana (Roman-style fried artichokes)
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.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Drain the artichokes and dry with a paper towel.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Allyssa says
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!
★★★★★
Thank you for trying our artichokes! They are really really tasty 😉
Linda says
I've never tried artichokes in this version and this one is so good!
★★★★★
They are crispy yet tender and very tasty, hope you try them! Thank you!
Liz says
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!
★★★★★
Ohhh they are so delicious! Hope you try it!
Debbie says
I haven't tried the recipe yet, though I will soon as it sounds delicious. I wish your recipe had an option to switch to American standard measurements instead of grams, as I have used on some recipe sites. Just a friendly suggestion.