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Whole double-fried carciofi alla giudia with crispy golden leaves on a wooden board with lemon wedges and sea salt

Crispy Carciofi alla Giudia (Roman Fried Artichokes)

Whole artichokes fried twice, first to soften the heart and again to crisp the outer leaves, a Roman-Jewish classic best eaten hot with just salt and lemon.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian (Roman)
Calories: 280
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 large artichokes (Romanesco or globe) chokeless Romanesco preferred
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 1 liter extra virgin olive oil, for frying (4 cups); or sunflower oil
  • fine sea salt to taste
  • 2 cold water -3 tbsp; for the finishing splash

Method
 

Prep the artichokes
  1. Fill a large bowl with cold water, the juice of the lemon, and the squeezed lemon halves.
  2. Snap off the tough outer leaves of each artichoke until you reach the pale, tender inner leaves, about 3-4 layers deep.
  3. Trim the stem to about 5 cm (2 in), peel its fibrous outer layer, and cut the top third off the artichoke to remove the thorny tips.
  4. Drop trimmed artichokes into the lemon water right away, they brown fast once exposed to air.
First fry
  1. Pour olive oil into a deep pot to a depth of at least 8 cm (3 in) and heat to 150 C / 300 F.
  2. Drain the artichokes and pat dry. Lower them stem-up into the warm oil, pressing gently to submerge.
  3. Fry for 15-18 minutes, turning once, until a skewer slides into the base with no resistance and the outer leaves have darkened slightly.
  4. Lift the artichokes out with tongs, drain briefly, and let them rest stem-up on a tray for 10 minutes to cool.
Open and second fry
  1. Once cool enough to handle, turn each artichoke upside down and press the top gently against a cutting board to spread the leaves open like a flower.
  2. Raise the oil temperature to 185 C / 365 F.
  3. Lower the artichokes back into the hot oil, leaves-down this time, and fry for 2-3 minutes until deep golden and crisp.
  4. Lift out and, while still dripping, flick a few drops of cold water over the leaves, they'll crackle and crisp further.
  5. Drain on paper towels, season immediately with fine sea salt, and serve hot.

Notes

  • Use a deep, heavy pot so the oil temperature stays stable during both fries.
  • Romanesco artichokes have no choke, saving prep time versus globe varieties.
  • Don't skip the resting time between fries, the flattening step needs cooled leaves.
  • Salt only after the second fry, salting too early draws out moisture.