Help me use these anchovies

On a lark I bought a glass jar of anchovy fillets and I realized it's been sitting on my shelf for about 6 months now staring at me.
So what should I do with these? I've never cooked with them before. Hit me with your best use for anchovies. I’m not a big fan of bold fishy flavors but I’ll try anything once.

If you don't like looking at 'em, or the mouth feel of them, you can always grind them up in a pasta sauce or a pseudo-caesar salad dressing.

Hi,

I keep a one-pound jar of anchovies in the refrigerator to use whenever it is needed. It is an ingredient on standby.

If you search for pasta recipes with puttanesca in the name, it is guaranteed to be a heavy user of anchovies.

My niece loves Ceasar salad, she orders it without anchovies. What she receives has to be something else.

Regards,

Both of the above are absolutely true; it is also worth noting that, like fish sauce in many southeast Asian recipes, you won't taste the anchovies as anchovies or as fishiness. You'll taste a depth of flavor, an almost certainly unidentifiable umami-ness. So don't be shy!

So far we have puttanesca, ceasar salad.
What about pizza, do they actually go well on pizza or is that just a joke?
I'm thinking bagna cauda but it seems like it would be really fishy - thoughts?

Shave a couple of cloves of garlic very thin, add them to a pan with olive oil and the anchovies, heat to release the flavors and then add fettucini and toss. Grab a hunka bread and enjoy.

zoid wrote:So far we have puttanesca, ceasar salad.
What about pizza, do they actually go well on pizza or is that just a joke?
I'm thinking bagna cauda but it seems like it would be really fishy - thoughts?

Yes, they do go well on pizza. If you don't like the fishy flavor, just cut them up. They basically melt. You can also saute them with onions or peppers and put that on the pizza.

zoid wrote:So far we have puttanesca, ceasar salad.
What about pizza, do they actually go well on pizza or is that just a joke?
I'm thinking bagna cauda but it seems like it would be really fishy - thoughts?

I love them on pizza, but if you are not a fan of "fishiness" I wouldn't go that route. In my opinion, the baking process will intensify the fishy flavor.

OK, I think I'm gonna try a pasta duo - a but of putanesca and I'm also gonna try spinynorman99 suggestion of oil and garlic.
Dinner tonight sould be interesting (for me at least, I told the kids they could have whatever they want on Fridays and they have thier hearts set on hotdogs )

I second (or third) the recommendation for puttanesca sauce-- so easy, fast, and delicious.

For something non-pasta, this homemade kimchi recipe is excellent and the spice paste uses 6-8 anchovies:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/homemade-kimchi.aspx

The spice paste keeps for months, so you can make kimchi at any time. Here's some I made last Xmas. Ho ho ho!


Cheers, Jen

Cathy2 wrote:...I keep a one-pound jar of anchovies in the refrigerator to use whenever it is needed. It is an ingredient on standby....

Cathy, where do you buy your one-pound jar of anchovies? I have the little cans, but they are annoying to store. Alas, I am making Caesar Salad for a potluck this weekend and the guest-of-honor is vegetarian so no anchovies.

Cheers, Jen

salt packed are the way to go IMHO

My niece loves Ceasar salad, she orders it without anchovies. What she receives has to be something else.

Cathy2, your niece is a purist. Authentic Caesar dressing does not contain anchovies.

Steak tartare

Evil Ronnie wrote:Steak tartare

VERY interesting...

Somewhat similar to the pasta recipe posted above, I love to make this for myself when my vegetarian husband is not going to be home for dinner. Sometimes I toss in capers and toasted bread crumbs as well.
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/recipe-of-the-day-pasta-with-garlic-anchovies-and-tomatoes/

sundevilpeg wrote:

My niece loves Ceasar salad, she orders it without anchovies. What she receives has to be something else.

Cathy2, your niece is a purist. Authentic Caesar dressing does not contain anchovies.

Hi,

I use James Beard's recipe from his American Cookery book from 1972. He tends to have well researched classic recipes. The anchovies are minced quite a bit, so they are not too apparent.

In the Julia Child recipe you linked to, she does use Worcestershire sauce which happens to contain anchovies.

***

I recently saw roasted peppers with anchovies arranged on top. It would ring my bells.

I bought the jar at a Costco in NJ. I have seen similar jars at Tenuto's in Racine, WI. I have long emptied the jar, I now buy one-pound tins at Tenuto's to refill the jar. If there are any exposed, I add olive oil.

Tenuto's has capers in oil in the deli section. I speculatively bought some, though I didn't like the oil they were in. I drained it, added olive oil and all is good.

Regards,

Make Janssons frestelse, the best use for anchovies ever invented. No fishy taste at all. jUst rich and yummy.

http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Lifestyle ... restelse-/

d4v3 wrote:Make Janssons frestelse, the best use for anchovies ever invented.

http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Lifestyle ... restelse-/

"375 g (13 oz) spice-cured sprat filets"

Wow. That will certainly use up your anchovies!

Pinning this to my must-try list, just as soon as I hit up Cathy's WI anchovy supplier.

Jen

Pie-love wrote:

d4v3 wrote:Make Janssons frestelse, the best use for anchovies ever invented.

http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Lifestyle ... restelse-/

"375 g (13 oz) spice-cured sprat filets"

Wow. That will certainly use up your anchovies!

Pinning this to my must-try list, just as soon as I hit up Cathy's WI anchovy supplier.

Jen

Wow, that does seem like a lot of anchovies. this recipe uses considerbly less.

http://www.whats4eats.com/vegetables/ja ... lse-recipe

The second recipe sounds just right (1oz of anchovies vs 13)-- likely Swedish sprats are different from anchovies, but 3/4 pound, that would make it a fish dish.

The recipes do note that Swedish sprats are worth seeking out and can be found at Ikea-- has anyone seen them?

Jen

Actually, I think that is 1 x 3.5 oz. tin of anchovies. That is the way I have made this dish (as taught by a friend's Swedish mom). About 6-8 potatoes(depending on the size) to one 3.5 can of anchovies. My friend's mom used regular anchovies not Swedish sprats. I have seen (and bought) sprats, but they were from Latvia. The dish is just like scalloped potatoes but with layers of anchovies. It does not taste really fishy. That is why 13 oz of anchovies seems a little extreme.

Swedish sprats are like Russian sprats, IIRC: lightly smoked little fishies, Of a Brisling sardine type.

Geo

Lots of pasta recipes.

I've been using lots of salsa verde lately-Roasted chicken, steak, grilled sausage, lamb etc.

Tapenade.

Geo wrote:Swedish sprats are like Russian sprats, IIRC: lightly smoked little fishies, Of a Brisling sardine type.

Geo

The Russian sprats in the black labeled tins is my Dad's current favorite lunch. Of course with some dark bread and raw onions. His traditional statement while eating this, "I visited their factory in Riga years ago."

I have a tin of Russian cod livers in the pantry. I once went to a birthday party in Moscow where they were served with thinly sliced raw onions and chopped eggs as a salad. I thought it was heady stuff. I hope my memories and the reality will match.

Regards,

Gratin de Pommes de Terre Provencal
Scalloped Potatoes with Onions, Tomatoes, Anchovies, Herbs, and Garlic
Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking

I first made this wonderful recipe back in the seventies, and I make it at least once every summer when tomatoes are at their peak. Think anchovy pizza flavored potatoes.

Ingredients
2 cups thinly sliced onions
2 Tbs olive oil
A small saucepan
1.5 lbs tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and juiced
1/4 tsp salt

6 canned anchovies, packed in olive oil, drained (reserve oil)
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbs olive oil (include as part of this the oil from the anchovy can)

And oiled baking dish about 10 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep
2 lbs boiling potatoes, sliced 1/8 inch thick (6-7 cups)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Swiss cheese
1 tsp olive oil


This casserole with its full-bodied Mediterranean flavour goes with roast lamb or beef, steaks, chop, or grilled mackerel, tuna or swordfish. It is also good served cold. The potatoes need no other liquid than that rendered by the tomatoes as they cook together. Julia Child
Serves 6

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cook the onions and olive oil slowly together in a the saucepan until the onions are tender but not browned. Cut the tomatoes pulp into strips 3/8 inch wide. Fold the tomatoes and salt into the onions. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, mash the anchovies into a paste with the garlic, herbs, pepper, and oil.

Spread one quarter of the tomatoes and onions in the baking dish. Over them arrange half the potato slices, then half the anchovy mixture, then half the remaining tomatoes and onions. Spread over the rest of the the potatoes and the anchovy mixture; top with the last of the tomatoes and onions. Spread on the cheese, and sprinkle with olive oil.

Place in middle level of preheated oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and have absorbed all of the juice from the tomatoes. If the top browns too much during cooking, cover very loosely with a sheet of foil.

Keep warm or reheat

I made a bit of putanesca and I have to say, I can see the appeal. It does add a level of flavor I can't quite put my finger on.
I also tried a few on some slices of pizza and while again I can understand the appeal I don't think I'll be ordering my pizza with anchovie any time soon.
I may just have crappy anchovies but the little hair like bones are a real distraction.

I'm gonna have to try the gratin though, it sounds wonderful.

Depending on what you're using them for - especially if they're NOT being used in a recipe where you want their full flavor (puttanesca, for instance) - I soak them in a bit of milk to leach out some of the pungency. Makes them a lot more palatable, and actually very pleasant, on pizza and in salads.

* Edited to change "soak" from "some."

I also have a large jar of anchovies in the fridge that I use one or two at a time for cooking, but when I make something that calls for several of them like puttanesca or pizza I open a fresh can. The refrigerated anchovies get too "fishy" to be used as main ingredient.

And yes, the fish called for in Janssons frestelse or temptation are sprats which are not like anchovies. Ikea sells them. When I make this dish I cheat and use Betty Crocker scalloped potatoes.

zoid wrote:I may just have crappy anchovies but the little hair like bones are a real distraction.

I'm gonna have to try the gratin though, it sounds wonderful.

Hi,

I agree, Ronnie's posted gratin is a must try item.

As for those wee bones, often an anchovy is mashed with the back of a spatula or soon, so they disappeer.

Two more anchovie laced pasta dishes in this old post, one made with cauliflower and other with mushrooms.

Regards,