Ingredients
Anchovies
- 150 gsalt-packed anchovies, or 100 g good anchovy fillets in oil
Also
- 4 clovesgarlic
- 150 mlgood olive oil
- 1 tbspred wine vinegar
- 1 tspDijon mustard, optional
- black pepper
Sometimes
- 1 tbspcapers
- a few basil leaves
- 1 tbspchopped parsley
- a small piece of dried fig, pounded in
To serve
- raw vegetables: fennel, celery, radish, peppers, spring onions
- toasted bread
- hard-boiled eggs
Equipment
- a mortar and pestle
Directions
- Rinse the salt off under cold running water, rubbing each fish with your fingers. Now soak them in cold water or milk for twenty to thirty minutes.
- Lift the backbone out from the head end, and it should come away cleanly with the tail attached. Pull off the small fins and pat the fillets dry. Remove the green germ from the centre of each clove.
- Pound the garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar until it is a smooth paste. Add the anchovy fillets and pound them into the garlic.
- Work it until it is a rough, coherent paste with no whole pieces of fish left. Add the oil drop by drop at first, working it in with the pestle. Once it has begun to take, add the rest in a thin steady stream.
- Use a good olive oil, since it is a main flavour here and not merely a medium. Work in the vinegar, which lifts the whole thing and stops it tasting flat and heavy. Add plenty of ground black pepper. Now the salt, which needs care.
- Leave it for at least half an hour before serving, which lets the garlic mellow and the flavours settle. It is genuinely better after an hour, and better still the next day.
- Serve it in a bowl surrounded by raw vegetables cut into batons for dipping. It keeps a week refrigerated under a film of olive oil, and it stiffens when cold so let it come to room temperature.
Technique
- Salt-packed anchovies must be rinsed and soaked before use.
- Taste before adding any salt, since it is rarely needed.
- It belongs to an old Mediterranean tradition of salted fish seasonings.
Substitutions
- Good anchovy fillets in olive oil, in place of salt-packed.
- A food processor in place of a mortar, for a smoother paste.
Variations
- With a little pounded dried fig, as in Provence.
- With capers and herbs worked through.
- Spread on bread and grilled until bubbling.
History
Ancient Mediterranean fish-sauce descendant, made along the Riviera wherever anchovies were salted in barrels.
Frequently asked questions
What is Anchoiade?
Anchoiade is a sauce & condiment from Monaco: pounded salted anchovy with garlic and olive oil, spread on bread or raw vegetables. Ancient Mediterranean fish-sauce descendant, made along the Riviera wherever anchovies were salted in barrels.
How long does Anchoiade take to make?
Anchoiade takes 20 min plus 30 min soaking of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings as a dip. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Anchoiade?
Yes, within limits. Good anchovy fillets in olive oil, in place of salt-packed. A food processor in place of a mortar, for a smoother paste.
What is the most important thing to get right in Anchoiade?
Use a good olive oil, since it is a main flavour here and not merely a medium. Work in the vinegar, which lifts the whole thing and stops it tasting flat and heavy. Add plenty of ground black pepper. Now the salt, which needs care.
