15 Anchovy Recipes: From Toasts and Appetizers to Signature Dishes

Before cooking: universal rules

Three rules that apply to any anchovy recipe. Breaking any of them worsens the result:

1. Room temperature, always. Take anchovies out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before serving or cooking. When cold, the fat solidifies, the texture hardens, and the flavor diminishes. It's the difference between a shiny, silky anchovy and a dull, rigid one.

2. Choose the size according to use. For appetizers where anchovy is the star: minimum 00 size. For cooking (sauces, sofritos, pasta): size 0 is perfect, and 00 would be a waste. To enhance a dish without the anchovy being noticeable: size 0 or even anchovy paste.

3. Do not overcook the anchovy. If the anchovy is in a hot dish, add it at the end or off the heat. Excessive heat dries it out, makes it too salty, and destroys the flavor nuances it has developed during months of curing. The only exception is when you intentionally dissolve it in hot oil as the base of a sauce.

Quick appetizers (5 minutes)

1. Classic Gilda

The quintessential Basque pintxo. Originally from Bar Vallés in San Sebastián (1940s). It's the ultimate test of an anchovy: if it can't stand alone with a guindilla pepper and an olive, it's not a good anchovy.

Ingredients per gilda:

• 1 Cantabrian anchovy, size 00, folded over itself
• 1 Ibarra guindilla pepper in vinegar (the authentic one, green, mild not spicy)
• 1 Manzanilla olive with pit
• 1 long toothpick

Assembly: first skewer the guindilla pepper (from the tip, zig-zagging), then the olive, then the folded anchovy. Some purists change the order. The important thing is that the anchovy doesn't get lost among the other ingredients: it must have presence.

Size: 00 mandatory. With size 0, the gilda loses its identity. The anchovy is the soul of the pintxo.

2. Anchovy and butter toast

Supreme simplicity. Three ingredients, zero margin for error.

Ingredients:

• Sourdough or rye bread, toasted
• Unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2-3 anchovy fillets size 00

Preparation: generously spread butter on the toasted bread (still warm so the butter melts slightly). Place the anchovy fillets on top. Nothing else. The butter tempers the saltiness and intensity of the anchovy, creating a creamy texture that is more than the sum of its parts.

Variation: add a few flakes of smoked paprika from La Vera (sweet, not spicy). The smoky flavor perfectly complements the anchovy's cure.

3. Endives with anchovy and cheese

Elegant appetizer that works at any dinner.

Ingredients (12 leaves):

• 12 endive leaves (the firmest and most curved ones)
• 12 anchovy fillets
• 100g cream cheese or ricotta
• Fresh chives, chopped
• A few drops of extra virgin olive oil

Assembly: put a teaspoon of cream cheese at the base of each endive leaf. Place a rolled anchovy fillet on top. Sprinkle with chives. Drizzle with EVOO. The natural bitterness of the endive contrasts with the umami of the anchovy and the creaminess of the cheese.

4. Piquillo peppers stuffed with anchovy

Ingredients:

• 1 can of Lodosa piquillo peppers
• Cantabrian anchovies (1 fillet per pepper)
• Cream cheese (optional)
• EVOO for dressing

Preparation: drain the peppers. Insert an anchovy fillet into each (with or without cream cheese). Dress with EVOO. Serve cold. The sweetness of the piquillo balances the saltiness of the anchovy. A foolproof combination.

5. Tomato and anchovy toast

The elevated Catalan pa amb tomàquet.

Ingredients:

• Coca bread or ciabatta, toasted
• Ripe grated tomato (rub the cut tomato over the bread)
• Generous EVOO
• 2 anchovy fillets per toast
• Maldon salt flakes (optional, anchovy is already salty)

Preparation: toast the bread, rub with tomato, add EVOO, place the anchovies. The acidity of fresh tomato against the intensity of cured anchovy. It's Catalonia and Cantabria in one bite.

Intermediate dishes (15-30 minutes)

6. Pasta alla puttanesca

The dish where the anchovy dissolves and transforms everything.

Ingredients (4 people):

• 400g spaghetti or linguine
• 6-8 anchovy fillets (size 0, here they dissolve)
• 400g natural crushed tomatoes
• 80g black olives (Kalamata or Taggiasca)
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 3 cloves garlic
• Dried chili pepper
• Generous EVOO
• Fresh parsley

Preparation: heat EVOO over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and anchovies. Stir with a wooden spoon until the anchovies completely dissolve in the oil (1-2 minutes). Add chili, capers, and olives. Pour in the tomatoes. Cook for 15 minutes. Mix with al dente pasta. Fresh parsley on top.

The trick: anchovies must completely disappear into the oil. If visible pieces remain, you haven't dissolved them enough. They are the invisible umami of the sauce.

7. Caesar salad with real anchovies

The original Caesar salad includes anchovy in the dressing. Most restaurants substitute it with industrial anchovy paste or eliminate it entirely. Do it right:

Caesar dressing (4 people):

• 4 anchovy fillets, crushed in a mortar
• 1 clove garlic, crushed with the anchovies
• 2 egg yolks (pasteurized if preferred)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 100ml EVOO
• 30g grated Parmesan
• Black pepper

Dressing preparation: crush anchovies with garlic in a mortar until a paste forms. Add yolks, lemon, and mustard. Emulsify by pouring EVOO in a thin stream while whisking. Incorporate grated Parmesan. The anchovy provides the salty-umami punch that makes Caesar dressing Caesar and not just any vinaigrette.

8. Bagna càuda

The Piedmontese sauce for dipping vegetables. Pure hot umami.

Ingredients (4 people):

• 10-12 anchovy fillets
• 6 cloves garlic
• 200ml EVOO
• 50g butter

Preparation: thinly slice the garlic. Heat EVOO over very low heat with the garlic for 10 minutes (they should not brown). Add anchovies and butter. Stir until everything melts into a homogeneous sauce. Serve hot in a container on a table warmer. Dip raw or lightly blanched vegetables: cardoons, peppers, carrots, artichokes, endives.

9. Anchovy and olive tapenade

Ingredients:

• 150g pitted black olives
• 6 anchovy fillets
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1 clove garlic
• EVOO
• Juice of half a lemon

Preparation: blend everything in a food processor until a granular paste is formed (not a smooth cream). Adjust with EVOO to desired consistency. Serve on toast, crudités, or as a condiment for grilled meats. Keeps for one week in the fridge covered with oil.

10. Deviled eggs with anchovy

Ingredients (12 halves):

• 6 hard-boiled eggs
• 6 anchovy fillets
• 3 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• Chopped chives
• Sweet paprika

Preparation: boil eggs for 10 minutes. Cut them in half. Remove the yolks and mix them with mayonnaise, mustard, and 4 very finely chopped anchovy fillets. Fill the whites with the mixture. Crown each half with half an anchovy fillet and a touch of paprika. The anchovy in the filling adds depth of flavor; the visible anchovy provides presentation.

Signature preparations

11. Anchovy butter

A chef's condiment that transforms any dish.

Ingredients:

• 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8 anchovy fillets, very finely chopped
• Zest of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation: mix everything with a fork until homogeneous. Form a cylinder with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut slices to place on a hot beef fillet, grilled fish, roasted vegetables, or cooked pasta. The butter melts and the anchovy provides instant umami.

12. Anchovy vinaigrette for salads

Ingredients:

• 3 anchovy fillets
• 4 tablespoons EVOO
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Black pepper

Preparation: mash the anchovies in a bowl with a fork. Add mustard and vinegar. Emulsify with EVOO. Black pepper. Do not add extra salt: the anchovy already provides it. Ideal on tomato salad, green bean salad, or warm potato salad.

13. Pizza bianca with anchovy and caramelized onion

Ingredients (1 pizza):

• Pizza dough (homemade or good store-bought dough)
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced julienne and slowly caramelized (30 min over low heat with EVOO)
• 6-8 anchovy fillets
• Black olives
• EVOO
• Fresh rosemary (optional)

Preparation: spread the dough. Cover with caramelized onion. Bake at maximum temperature (250-280°C) for 8-10 minutes. Upon removing from the oven, place anchovies and olives on top. Anchovies NEVER go into the oven: excessive heat dries them out and makes them too salty.

14. Green sauce with anchovies (for fish)

Ingredients:

• 4 anchovy fillets
• A large bunch of fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1 clove garlic
• 100ml EVOO
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Preparation: finely chop everything with a knife (not in a processor, it loses texture). Mix with EVOO and vinegar. Serve over baked or grilled hake, sea bass, or cod. The anchovy in the green sauce adds a dimension of flavor not achieved with any other ingredient.

15. Anchovy, ricotta, and honey crostini

The combination that seems impossible and works spectacularly.

Ingredients:

• Slices of country bread, toasted
• Fresh ricotta
• Anchovy fillets (size 00)
• Rosemary or orange blossom honey
• Freshly ground black pepper

Assembly: spread ricotta on toasted bread. Place an anchovy fillet. A drizzle of honey. Black pepper. Salty + sweet + creamy + umami. It's the combination of flavors that explains why anchovy is a haute cuisine ingredient, not just a bar snack.

Chef's tips for cooking with anchovies

• Dissolve in hot oil: for sauces and sofritos, heat EVOO over medium heat and add the anchovies. Stir with a wooden spoon for 1-2 minutes until they completely break down. The oil becomes an umami concentrate.
• Do not add extra salt: in any recipe with anchovy, reduce or eliminate added salt. The anchovy provides the salinity.
• Use the oil from the can: the oil in which anchovies come is infused with flavor. Use it in dressings, sofritos, or to drizzle over toast. Don't throw it away.
• Anchovy as a salt substitute: in stews, braises, and soups, substitute salt with 1-2 dissolved anchovy fillets. They provide salinity + umami. Superior result.
• Minimum heat: if the anchovy is a visible topping, never subject it to strong direct heat. Always add it off the heat or in the last 30 seconds.

All these recipes work best with quality Cantabrian anchovies. The difference between using a good anchovy and a mediocre one is the difference between a remarkable dish and one that merely performs. At Bacalalo, since 1990 in Mercat del Ninot, we select anchovies that we would eat ourselves.

More about anchovies: Anchovy vs. Boqueron: Differences | 00 Anchovy Guide | Types of Canned Anchovies | Santoña Anchovies

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