Every chef I’ve ever talked to hails the anchovy as one of the world’s greatest ingredients, a small fish of enormous importance in the kitchen and on the plate. It’s a bold statement and one I stand by as the self-appointed anchovy evangelist. Quite simply, anchovies are the definitive source of pure umami, acting as an epic seasoning to intensify other ingredients without tasting especially fishy.
An anchovy odyssey undertaken for my new book, Consider the Anchovy, took me from Athens to San Francisco and Nice to Rome. I visited Santoña, the under-the-radar epicentre of Cantabrian anchovies, and Cetara on the Amalfi Coast, home of Colatura di Alici, an Italian fish sauce made from anchovies that chefs from Massimo Bottura to Jeremy Lee are never without. It was a journey that gave me some incredible and surprising insights.
Anchovies are the definitive source of pure umami
What I particularly loved discovering is how vital anchovies are in sustaining local communities, how hyper-local many anchovy recipes are and how much their history is cherished. The delicately flavoured Alici di Menacia, found only on the Cilento coast and around Ognina, close to Catania in Sicily, are still made according to ancient Greek traditions recorded by Homer and are now protected by the Slow Food Presidia.
I visited some bonkers museums (in particular, Museo dell’Acciuga (Anchovy Museum) in Bagheria, just outside Palermo on Sicily, run by the charismatic Michelangelo Baliestri, that made me laugh and cry). I joined festivals celebrating the anchovy that are very much for the locals. Yet, visiting anchovy lovers are made most welcome everywhere; they can pick up an anchovy passport for a roving tasting around bars and restaurants in L’Escala, learn to dance an anchovy groove in Collioure, drink anchovy gin in Cetara and sample an all-anchovy tasting menu, including an anchovy chocolate dessert, in Llastres.
I came to fully appreciate just how much towering culinary figures love and respect the anchovy. From Elena Arzak, who was my personal tour guide around San Sebastián and Getaria, to the dashing Jesús Sánchez, chef at three-Michelin-starred Cenador de Amos close to Santander, the adoration is palpable.
My research confirmed that this small and shimmering yet complex, fruity, nutty and mellow fish has been underestimated for far too long. Anchovies are handcrafted at every stage of their conservation and this is surely a metaphor for how we need to live in an age when there is much emphasis on speed and automation; giving more time and respect to the smaller, humbler yet vital ‘players’ in the global gastronomic scene.
I spoke to ten top chefs about their passion for anchovies and you can find their responses below, including how they use them in dishes at their restaurants and which anchovies are their favourites.
Mauro Colagreco
Executive chef at Mauro Colagreco, London, UK, and Mirazur, Menton, France
‘Anchovies have always held a very special place in my cuisine. I enjoy them raw, cured or gently melted into a sauce like bagna càuda. Anchovies have this intense iodic taste that I love to explore and play with. I love their intensity and complexity: how they bring salinity and also depth, umami and a certain roundness that can transform a dish without ever dominating it when used with precision. A single anchovy can elevate vegetables, enhance a sauce or give structure to something very minimal. Anchovies can also be used as a subtle background note, something you don’t immediately identify, yet which brings balance and length on the palate.’
Dish: ‘Violet-skinned, chestnut-flavoured heritage Vitelotte potato with lightly marinated fresh anchovies with a touch of salt, allowing their purity and texture to fully express themselves, and wrapped in a coat of lardo di colannato on my ‘Roots’ menu [at Mirazur in the south of France]. This exemplifies my locally sourced, biodynamic approach.’
Favourite anchovy: ‘We buy fresh anchovies from the Ventamiglia market at San Remo, salt-cured anchovies from Maison Dehesa, Colatura di Alici from Armatore and sel d’anchois de printemps (spring anchovies) from Pujadó Solano
Dara Klein
Chef-patron at Tiella, London, UK
‘I’m heavily shaped by my Italian heritage and I like to honour the traditions I grew up with and our whole family adored anchovies. I find the depth of flavour in anchovies truly invigorating.’
Dish: ‘Anchovies marinated Venetian saor style with pickled sultanas, pine nuts and onions. And lamb marinated with anchovy, garlic and rosemary, braised very gently overnight with brodo and plenty of wine, served with soft polenta and zingy gremolata.’
Favourite anchovy: ‘For the anchovies saor style, I use boquerones supplied by my fishmonger Steve Hatt.’
Yannick Alléno
Executive chef at Pavyllon London, UK
‘I love anchovies for their precision. They bring a delicate intensity and a subtle saltiness that awakens the palate without ever overpowering it.’
Dish: ‘At Pavyllon London, we serve a Cornwall lamb chop, hay-barbecued with samphire pistou, anchovy paste and lamb jus. The anchovy gives the perfect balance to the dish. It brings depth to the flavour; it is not dominant but it elevates the entire dish.’
Favourite anchovy: Maison Dehesa
Nieves Barragán
Chef-patron at Sabor and Legado, London, UK
‘Anchovies are the purest, most intense flavours of my Spanish heritage growing up in Santurtzi in the Basque Country. I love cooking that highlights natural, bold flavours.’
Dish: ‘A tapa of Cantabrian anchovies on smoked cheese brioche with a little lemon zest to finish. Or chicory salad with anchovy and salmorejo dressing (an addictive cold soup made with tomatoes, red pepper, garlic, bread, sherry vinegar and extra virgin olive oil).
Favourite anchovy: ‘Always Cantabrian. I appreciate how they are completely artisanal and take time: cured in salt and cleaned by hand to preserve their texture and rich taste.’
Heiko Nieder
Culinary director at The Restaurant at The Dolder Grand, Zurich, Switzerland
‘I like to replace salt with anchovy as my seasoning. I love the extraordinary depth anchovies bring to a dish. When anchovies are added more covertly within a sauce or ragu, they bring an extra complexity and intensity.’
Dish: ‘Two signature amuse bouche use anchovies: tartlet with foie gras, anchovy, aged apple balsamic & purslane with green olive gel and wheatgrass juice with anchovies, goose liver, raspberry and wood sorrel [pictured].’
Favourite anchovy: Conservas Arlequin
Elena Arzak
Head chef at Restaurant Arzak, San Sebastián, Spain
‘I’ve been eating anchovies since I could walk and I never tire of them. I like to eat fresh anchovies by their tail with my fingers and they must be eaten by lunchtime the day they are fished.’
Dish: ‘Marinated, plump fresh anchovy served gilda-style with a juicy bite of strawberry and a soft fish mousse is a virtuoso balance of savoury and sweet, velvety and crisp. Anchovy ceviche is gleaming fresh anchovies marinated in extra virgin olive oil with orange juice, white wine vinegar and thyme.’
Favourite anchovy: Fresh anchovies from Ion Sarriegi who runs Oianeder, a splendid fish stall in Bretxa market, San Sebastián. Salt-cured anchovies are always Cantabrian.
Josiah Citrin
Head chef at Citrin and Mélisse, Los Angeles, US
‘I use anchovies to fine-tune my dishes so that they are understated, refined and full of flavour and texture. I liken my approach to a technician working with the classic cars I love or a musician playing with the notes.’
Dish: ‘Both Celtuce Caesar croustade, a technically precise one-bite snack to start the meal at Mélisse [pictured], and the Caesar Salad served tableside at Citrin showcase anchovies. Both are made with celtuce, also known as stem or asparagus lettuce. Found in Asian stores, it can be eaten raw and julienned and has a nutty taste and refreshing crunch. I also incorporate sword lettuce or a-choy, an Asian leafy green with long, narrow, pointed green leaves, a crisp texture similar to romaine and a mildly bitter, nutty and vegetal flavour. My dressing is 75% anchovy, plus blanched garlic, egg and lemon juice. I use three types of anchovy in my Caesar: boquerones, fresh anchovies marinated in vinegar, salt-cured anchovies and fresh anchovies. The salad is finished with fine showers of best parmesan and lemon zest.’
Favourite anchovy: Pujadó Solano
Aaron Potter
Chef-patron at Wildflowers, London, UK
‘I am obsessed with anchovies; Cantabrian anchovies are always on the menu. I like to incorporate anchovies into snacks to wake up the palate. My latest favourite combination is anchovy, manchego and honey.
‘I discovered the surprising combination of evaporated milk and anchovy in Seville. I drizzle evaporated milk on pan de cristal bread, then spread on gremolata and top with several fat, luscious anchovies and plenty of chopped chives. It is curious and sensational.’
Dish: ‘Anchovies have to go with spring lamb [pictured] and perfectly complement the buttermilk sweetbreads and freshness of asparagus and goat’s curd.’
Favourite anchovy: Codesa
James Tyrell
Executive chef at L’Escargot, London, UK
‘I love anchovies, tiny but powerful, as does Brian Clivaz, owner of L’Escargot. We love them served simply and classically in Scotch Woodcock or Caesar salad and don’t believe in stinting on anchovies.’
Dish: ‘The classic South of France pissaladière served straight from the oven flaky and warm or the spinach soufflé with anchovy sauce I created with Peter Langan at Langan’s Brasserie and have revived at L’Escargot. It has a real wow factor. The sauce is an anchovy hollandaise, extraordinarily decadent and punchy.’
Favourite anchovy: ‘I’ve recently been converted to Pujadó Solano.’
Ben Tish
Executive chef at Cubitt House Group, UK
‘I love anchovies for their wonderful umami punch. I use them most often when cooking lamb or pork with rosemary and garlic to make a paste, which is rubbed all over and melts into the meat. The result is deeply, satisfyingly savoury. I believe in using all the anchovy bits and oils too, which are transformative whizzed into mayonnaise or dressings. I also like to use smoked anchovies, which I serve on house-made sourdough with roast tomatoes and whipped ricotta. ‘
Dish: ‘Beef tartare with anchovies and salmoriglio, and smoked anchovies on house-made sourdough with roast tomatoes and whipped ricotta.’
Favourite anchovy: Ortiz and Nardín
