I’ve recently discovered the gastronomic joy of an anchovy and sausage pizza! Oh, the overwhelming flavor of this combination!
Hey, you! The guy gagging in the corner! Take it outside, OK?
I bought a couple of tins of anchovies the other day. Other than eating them alone or on crackers, does anybody have any good recipes in which to use these little guys?
I thought about making up some kind of omelette, but that might be too strong. I may try it, though . . .
So, any suggestions?
You want stench? I made a recipe tonight that called for anchovies and blacan. Blacan is dried salted shrimp ground into a paste. It smells far worse than that sounds (although hanging out on the beaches where they dry the stuff is probably worse). If you’ve ever smelled anyone from Indonesia or Malaysia cooking something that stank up the place for hours, that was probably blacan.
There are actually some decent uses for anchovies where they are quite subtle. I had an Italian pasta recipe which was a lightly creamy sauce flavored mostly by a pecorino romano and a small amount of anchovies - my father couldn’t even tell it had anchovies in it, though they were an integral part of the sauce.
One thing to do if you really like the taste of them - bagna cauda. Put some anchovies and garlic in olive oil, heat up and use as a warm dip (milk or cream can be added as well). Even room temperature with no cream it’s a nice bread dip.
I believe Anchovies are an important culinary note that should be used as accent to subtle and similar flavors. Much like fish sauce and shrimp paste is to Asian cuisine .’. as is worchestershire, garum, and anchovies to European/ Mediterranean cuisine.
I think anchovie are best as subtle addition and ingredients to sauces. dressings, and incorporations to seafood preperations. Its best use is always understated and accent to fresh flavors.
One of my favorite anchovy dishes was a Bruschetta with an Anchovy, garlic, mayo, and cheese spread. I’m still trying to determine the recipe…
I hear Putanesca is a classic, very delicious, and great use for the anchovies.
Sear four red bell peppers on an open flame, then let them sweat in a plastic bag with 2 teaspoonsful of water, covered with a cloth towel for about 20 minutes. The skins should come right off.
Then cut the peppers into largish strips and fry with olive oil and half a tin of anchovies. Serve with a marinated strip steak and a piece of cheesy garlic baguette.
Putanesca is great.
I love my pizzas with anchovies and capers.
You could try making your own ceasar dressing?
Weird. I bought some shrimp paste last night. I am going to use it in a ‘rujak’ recipe tonight. I was looking for ‘terassi’, but couldn’t find it. I assume what I bought is similar to blacan, although I don’t remember off the top of my head what the alternate/traditional name said on the jar. I hope this substitution will work ok.
My suggestions have been taken already. Ceasar dressing and Puttanesca. I think anchovies enhance and add to other bold flavors (like a sausage pizza). I can imagine a tapenade like topping for bruschetta using mashed up anchovies.
Here’s my favorite 'chovy recipe:
Steam or boil some very good white or red-skinned boiling potatoes. Put them on your plate and crush them slightly with the base of a drinking glass, making sure that the potatoes crack open. Lay on each potato a couple of anchovy filets and drizzle some high quality olive oil over all.
This is a simple way to enjoy the pure, salty, oily goodness of anchovies.
[Mom] Holy hell, you’re going to eat them?!? Oh – well, just make sure you eat them all. You’re a growing boy. Dumbass.[/Mom]
Back in 1980, for reasons I don’t recall, I fasted for three days while working in a pizza restaurant. I finally gave in and baked myself a pizza with a whole can of anchovies.
Anchovies, Anchovies,
You’re so delicious!
I love you more than
All the other fishes!
Cook some pasta and brocolli together in the same water (don’t add salt cos there’s plenty in the anchovies). At the same time fry on a low heat some crushed garlic and some anchovies in plenty of olive oil (preferably the oil the anchovies came in). You could also fry some (red) onions as well if you like. Allow the anchovies to become a paste. Drain the pasta and brocolli and mix with the anchovies. I think it’s good to add a little of the water from the pasta to the anchovies before you mix it all. If you like you can top with some toasted pine nuts before serving.
Trying to dig out my recipe for anchovy meringue pie . . .
Bonzer makes a fantastic steak with anchovy sauce. Unfortunately, I don’t have the recipe but maybe I can prod him to post it.
Hey, thanks everybody! I’m looking forward to trying everything you’ve recommended.
Having been duly prodded by Angua, here’s that anchovy sauce for steak recipe. Fry a couple of chopped shallots and a crushed garlic clove in butter, then add about 100 ml or so of whipping cream, a cans-worth of mashed-up anchovies/some anchovy paste and a little tarragon. Simmer for about ten minutes and adjust the seasoning, then pour over the separately cooked steaks. I usually serve with roast potatoes.
Classic Caesar salad has anchovies in the dressing, doesn’t it?
Scotch woodcock is an English dish consisting of anchovies on toast topped with soft scrambled eggs. Makes a nice breakfast if you can eat anchovies first thing in the morning. I’ve always suspected the name, like “Welsh rabbit”, was originally an ethnic slur.
Tuna Melts are a staple at my house, and I like to mince and mix in 1 or 2 anchovy filets into the mix to accent the “fishy” flavor of the tuna. Yumbly!
I don’t know if I would enjoy anchovies as a main ingredient, but I still offer burnt sacrifices on the anniversary of the day I tried them as accents with salad (Romaine and Ranch) and pizza (whatever you got).
This recipe will blow your mind.
I eat them on crackers, with a loaf of crusty bread, and on top of tomatoes.
You can also just add some anchovies to a classic red sauce for pasta (best to add just as the onions and garlic are finishing sauteeing).
also,
The Best Sandwich In the World: take a baguette or similar, split in half. Put on the cut side slices of tomatoes. On top of the tomatoes, anchovy slices, and on top of the anchovies, slices of mozzarella. Put the sandwich, open face up, under a broiler until the cheese gets mostly melted, but the tomato is still slightly cool.
A question: if you don’t quite have the chops to eat a whole can of anchovies at one sitting, how do you keep the remaining anchovies, and for how long will they keep?
Daniel
Boiled-egg and anchovy sandwiches. Slice the egg, lay it and the anchovies out between two slices of bread, with maybe some butter. Simple and delicious.