Tips and Tricks with Anchovies

You can add anchovies anywhere your food could use a little extra salty bite, but we've put together our tips, favourite ways to eat them and best flavour combos to use them in.

This article was created in partnership with Lorea Gourmet

Anchovies are salty and oily, a bit like salted butter... In fact you can think of them as a more flavourful version of salted butter and use that as a guide to cooking with them. 

They have the versatility of a condiment but they're flavoursome enough to really be the hero of a meal. Cut them into small pieces for a subtle, touch or leave them whole for a bit of punch. 

Here are some of our favourite ways to eat anchovies:

• Add anchovies to cream and garlic before pouring over sliced potatoes to make a gratin.
• Top flatbreads with caramelised onions, anchovies and olives before baking.
• Warm olive oil, chilli flakes, capers and anchovies then toss with hot spaghetti.
• Add an open jar of anchovies to a cheese platter - this is particularly good with goats cheese and onion relish. 
• Tear up a couple fillets and sprinkle over bruschetta before you put it in the oven. 

And our best tips:

• The fillets dissolve in sauce easily when torn up and heated. Chop them into eighths before adding to a sauce and you'll get the piquant taste but no trace of the anchovies themselves.
• Think of the oil in the anchovy jar as a potent, flavourful sauce. Add a teaspoon to the dish you're using the fillets in and note the difference. 
• Try frying or grilling an anchovy or two before you use them - you can achieve a smoky, nearly caramelised flavour this way. 
• Rather than tearing them apart with your fingers, try using two forks to pull the slippery little things apart.

Lorea Gourmet
loreagourmet.com/en/