The umami secret in your fridge + June 22 anchovy Cook-Along
Unlock anchovy alchemy with three simple bites, bold flavor, and a live cooking together.
When I cook, I often get hungry. I like to nibble on something, and until a couple of years ago, when I could still eat dairy, I would open the fridge and grab the unsalted butter and the small jar of salt-packed anchovies that is always sitting in a corner of my fridge. I used to slather a slice of bread with butter, then tackle the anchovy. I would rinse a fillet under cold running water, remove the bones, and then place it on my buttered bread. If I was feeling sophisticated, I would add a tiny wedge of lemon; otherwise, I would greedily bite into my pane e acciuga with utter satisfaction.
In its stark simplicity, this is food fit for a king, and a reminder that good food doesn’t need bells and whistles, just respect for great ingredients.
Today I’d like to win you over to these humble little fish, show you three easy ways to keep them on hand, and invite you to a live cook-along where we’ll unlock their secret umami power together.
I’m an anchovy advocate, born into a family of anchovy lovers. Trust me: Don’t let your past bad experiences with overcooked, shriveled anchovies on pizza prevent you from discovering the extraordinary qualities of good anchovies, ones that have been treated or cooked with care.
These small, humble fish are brimming with flavor.
You can eat them on their own, which for me is a treat, especially when paired with excellent butter and crusty bread. Drape one on half a hard-boiled egg, and you’ll elevate it to the status of cicchetti, the Venetian version of tapas.
Even more interestingly, though, anchovies can become your secret ingredient in the kitchen when slowly melted in warm olive oil. They add an umami boost not only to seafood dishes and soups, but also to meat stews and braises, to salad vinaigrettes and vegetable stir-fries. The added flavor is not fishy at all, it just enhances all the other flavors.
Anchovies 3 Ways
I grew up in an anchovy-loving family, so there have always been anchovies in our fridge. I store them in the fridge once the jars are opened, and they can keep for months. They usually come in three forms:
Salt-packed Anchovies
These anchovies are sold whole, bones, and tail intact, covered in coarse sea salt. You either find them in glass jars in supermarkets, or big cans in local delis. Rinse them thoroughly under cold running water to remove the excess salt, then simply fillet them by removing the spine; from each anchovy, you will obtain two neat fillets.
If you’re looking for high quality and an intense anchovy experience, opt for salt-packed anchovies, as the preserving process concentrates the flavor, capturing the briny taste of the sea. Use these anchovies in pasta sauces or vinaigrettes, or to make acciughe al verde, anchovy fillets marinated in a herby sauce, or bagna cauda, Piedmont’s famous assertive, garlic-based dip.
Oil-packed Anchovies
Oil-packed anchovies are salt-packed anchovies that have already been rinsed, filleted, and preserved in oil. Just fish out a fillet with a fork and lay it on your buttered bread, or melt it into warm olive oil to add an umami boost to any dish.
If you are a beginner with anchovies and want to tackle them gradually, choose oil-packed anchovies. Search for good-quality jarred or canned anchovies from Italy or Spain, packed in extra virgin olive oil.
Anchovy Paste
This has been a staple in my house for years. I prefer topping my buttered bread with a fillet, but my mum usually smears on some anchovy paste directly from the tube. This was also a quick snack my grandmother would make me before a road trip, since she believed the salt in the anchovies would prevent me from getting carsick.
Use anchovy paste wherever you need some background anchovy flavor in a dish. This is one of the essential ingredients in crostini neri, Tuscan chicken liver crostini, providing savoriness, umami, and a perfect contrast to the sweet chicken livers (see below).
What’s your go-to “secret umami” ingredient?
Sunday Cook-Along: All About Anchovies
Join me this Sunday, June 22nd, at 9:00 PM CEST | 3:00 PM EDT | 12:00 PM PDT for the last cook-along before the summer break, exclusively for paid subscribers, where we’ll talk all things anchovies and prepare three recipes where anchovies play a fundamental role.
We will talk about anchovies as the umami secret in your fridge, and we will see how to use them in three easy recipes:
Acciughe al verde—anchovies with a green sauce made of parsley, egg yolk and garlic, a pantry appetizer for your summer aperitivi, to serve with plenty of fresh bread slathered with butter, boiled eggs, and roast peppers.
Pasta with anchovies and cherry tomatoes, something to make in the time your pasta cooks, a summer crowd-pleasing pasta course for your weeknight meals;
Crostini neri—chicken liver spread, where anchovy paste plays an essential role. This is my true and tested go-to recipe to make the most classic Tuscan appetizer that you will always find at a family gathering or on a local trattoria menu. Believe me, you will love it!
Can’t make it live? Don’t worry, a recording of the class will be available to all paid subscribers afterwards. You’ll find it right here on Substack, as part of our growing archive of video recipes, perfect for revisiting your technique for making orecchiette, tortelli, tagliatelle, ricotta gnocchi, risotto, and more.
Will you be joining us? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to see you there!
(All the recipes, ingredient lists, the Cook-Along Working Sheet, and the link to join the session are available exclusively for paid subscribers, just behind the paywall.)
You’ll find three recipes to make the most of your anchovies: acciughe al verde—anchovies with a green sauce of parsley and garlic—, pasta with anchovies and cherry tomatoes, and crostini neri—chicken liver spread, where anchovy paste plays an essential role.
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