This is one of the most lovely snacks you can make to have something to munch on a good beer 🙂 moreover sage is probably my favorite herb, I really use it a lot during the whole year, either with meat or with fish, and almost always with potatoes too.
It’s a very simple recipe, easy and quite fast.
You can make it with any kind of sage leaves, but the best to make a nice bite are those sage plants which have very big leaves, and luckily in our garden we have one of those 🙂 as you can see below they are very nice and big leaves:
Let’s see how to make it!
INGREDIENTS (3-4 people):
- 30-40 big sage leaves
- 200 g flour
- cold beer, a simple lager beer is fine (the quantity you’ll see, about 350-400 ml)
- anchovy fillets (optional)
- salt
- oil to fry (I used peanuts oil)
- First of all pick up the sage leaves 🙂 and dry them well if they are wet. I didn’t wash them, if you know where they come from and you know there’s nothing on them I think it’s not needed.
- Prepare the batter: sift the flour in a bowl, then start adding gradually the cold beer mixing with a hand whisker until you obtain a thicker batter, smooth and without lumps, but not too much thick: it must not slip away from the leaves, but it must not be too heavy. Add also some salt at your taste. Then let it rest 15-20 minutes about, in the fridge.
- Now you can heat the oil (about 500 ml should be enough), and while it gets hot enough you can start to prepare the sage leaves: I fried some with anchovy fillets and some with nothing. For the ones with the anchovy fillet take simply one leaf, place one fillet in the middle (remove the salt if you use the anchovy kept in brine/salt) and then cover with another leaf, easy.
- Put the leaves in the batter, wait that the exceeding batter fall off, and then put in the hot oil. No more than 3-4 leaves at each time (and as always take care not to reach the smoke point of the oil).
- Fry on both sides, few seconds are enough, until crunchy and golden.
- Take out with a perforated spoon, drain from the exceeding oil and place on absorbing paper.
- When they are all ready sprinkle some salt (on the ones filled with anchovy fillets you don’t really need) and serve immediately! The hotter they are and the best they are 🙂
- Enjoy with a good beer, but also with a nice white wine or a sparkling wine they are perfect (but with this hot the cold beer worked perfectly) 🙂 This time we enjoyed these fried sage leaves on the balcony, at sunset, after a swim in the lake, and next to a refreshing Caprese. A perfect summer dinner 🙂
Polenta & Baccalá 
Very interesting (and new) idea . I must this try. I like sage taste, and idea to make snacks, it is tempting 🙂
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Thanks 🙂 as I wrote, it’s very simple, fast and easy, if you have enough sage I think it is definitely worth a try 🙂
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I love sage and anchovies and this looks so very tasty. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen such large sage leaves around here.. 😦
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Thank you 🙂 as I said you can try with all kind of sage leaves 🙂
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When you buy sage in the supermarket, you get about 10 small ones, and it’s not so cheap, so…
I’ll check in the farmer’s market next week, hopefully I’ll at least be able to get a larger amount. 🙂
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I have no idea of the price in a store because (luckily) we have a garden where we can have it in abundance, but I know that herbs like sage, basil, etc. are quite expensive in the stores.
There is no doubt that if you can get friendly with a farmer is the best option 🙂
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I have never heard of fried sage leaves, but they must go down nice on a warm summer night with a cold beer. I may have to try this using the sage plant that grows at my work, the leaves get bigger each year.
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Sure 🙂 as I said, all kind of sage leaves are good for this, obviously if they are bigger you’ll have a better bite and less work to do 🙂
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L’adoro!!! Complimenti!!
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Grazie 🙂 è talmente semplice e veloce che quando ho salvia in abbondanza sarebbe un peccato non fare questo snack 🙂
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Ottima idea!!!!👏🏻👏🏻
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Delicious, as always!
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Thank you 🙂
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This looks delightful! And my sage plant actually has some leaves that big. 🙂
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Thank you 🙂 if you have the sage then you have everything to make it 🙂
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