|
SPECIES |
Anchovy |
|
BINOMIAL NAME |
Engraulis anchoita |
|
FISHING METHODS |
Pelagic trawling |
|
MSC CERTIFIED |
Argentine Anchovy Fishery (Mar del Plata) (for more information on the MSC see here) |
|
TINNED OPTIONS |
Fillets in oil |
SOAKING ANCHOVY IN MILK, WINE OR WATER GREATLY ENHANCES THE CULINARY POSSIBILITIES OF THE HUMBLE FISH.
RIB EYE STEAK WITH ANCHOVY BUTTER
CITRUS ANCHOVIES AND GRILLED COURGETTE
COLD SPANISH SOUP WITH ANCHOVIES
DEEP-FRIED POTATO SKINS WITH ANCHOVY DIP
ANCHOVIES WITH GNOCCHI AND SAGE
ANCHOVIES are related to herrings, so they belong to the family of oily fish. Oily fish are perfect for fermenting in brine, which tenderises the meat, and anchovy is no exception, but it is time-consuming. Tinning anchovy in salt and oil is a much quicker technique, but it won’t tenderise the fish – in fact it toughens it slightly. Tinned anchovy is not sterilised, because applied heat will only result in fish pulp. The quality of the products can differ, but at least a tin of anchovy is not expensive. Buy a couple and see if you agree: tinned anchovy can surprise you.
THE preserving method limits the capabilities of the tinned anchovy in the kitchen. They are mostly used to add a kick of flavour to dishes. Soaking anchovy in milk, wine or water greatly enhances the culinary possibilities of the humble fish. You can also mellow the saltiness with some butter. Oil offers the adventurous cook the chance to add surprising touches as well, following in the footsteps of the ancient Romans who used the fish sauce garum to spice up their dishes. Fish sauce is still widely used in Asian cuisine. In Thai it’s called nam pla, in Vietnamese nuoc nam and in Chinese yu lu. All of them use anchovy as the main ingredient. South-European countries like Italy also make their own, very expensive fish sauce from anchovy: colatura.
FORTY years ago, Mariano’s family’s fishery used to fish around Argentina’s large seaside resort of Mar del Plata with a fleet of small boats. It was hard making a living that way so the family decided to sell off their boats and invested in a couple of larger vessels. This enabled them to sail further out to sea and fish for anchovy. During that time, Mariano experienced the consequences of overfishing. Something had to change. Mariano chose restrained fishing and had the MSC scrutinise his methods. He got the go-ahead: his is the world’s first MSC-certified anchovy fishery. One hopes this milestone will inspire the numerous fisheries along the South American coast, because Latin American fisheries play a big part in the global fish trade. Their approach can make all the difference.
TRUE fish lovers leave tinned fish like anchovy and sardines to mature in order to reach a more complex flavour. Turning the cans keeps the fish from drying out. To accommodate the fish lover, some French producers state the season the fish was caught. The area the anchovy was caught, the name of the boat and the name of the fisherman can also be available: useful information for the consumer who wants to know what they’re buying.
ONLY a few manufacturers offer MSC-certified anchovy from Argentine waters. Others would rather not spend the money or, more often, don’t see a profit in fish with the blue eco-label. However, they will guarantee the anchovy is caught with ring nets, which eliminates most bycatch. That sounds good, but only the MSC eco-label gives the consumer traceable certainty regarding the fishing method.
MAIN COURSE
SERVES 4
2 garlic bulbs, separated and peeled
2 tins of anchovy fillets in olive oil (50g/1¾oz per tin), drained
100g/1¾oz butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 lemon
4 x 200g/7oz rib eye steak, at room temperature
salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
• Wrap the garlic cloves in kitchen foil and place in the oven.
• After 20 minutes, check on the garlic by squeezing one of the cloves. If it’s completely soft, take the parcel out of the oven.
• Using a fork, mash the anchovies into the butter.
• Mix the shallot with a squeeze of lemon juice into the anchovy butter, cover and set aside.
• Trim any excess fat off the meat and cut the fat into cubes.
• Heat a frying pan and fry the cubes over a medium heat until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Season the meat with salt and pepper.
• Fry the meat for a few minutes on each side over a high heat until browned and cooked to your liking. Remove the meat from the pan, cover and leave to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
• Serve the steak with the anchovy butter, the roasted garlic and the fried cubes with an extra sprinkling of black pepper.
STARTER
SERVES 4
juice of 1 lemon, strained
juice of 1 orange, strained
200ml/7fl oz/generous ¾ cup balsamic vinegar
a few basil stalks
50g/1¾oz/heaped ⅓ cup pine nuts
1 tin of anchovy fillets in olive oil (50g/1¾oz), drained
milk (to desalt the anchovy)
groundnut oil
1 courgette
a little olive oil
a few sprigs of thyme
• Put the lemon and orange juice, balsamic vinegar and basil stalks in a pan and boil until reduced by one-third.
• Remove from the heat, take out the stalks and leave to cool, then chill in the fridge.
• Heat a frying pan and toast the pine nuts until golden brown.
• Desalt the anchovies by soaking in lukewarm water or milk for a few minutes, if you like. Drain and pat dry.
• Remove the vinegar from the fridge and beat in a few drops of nut oil.
• Cut the courgette into 3 pieces, then cut the pieces lengthways into slices about 2mm thick. Brush with olive oil and grill on both sides until browned.
• Place the grilled courgette slices on a large plate. Sprinkle the balsamic dressing over the vegetables and serve with the anchovies, pine nuts and thyme leaves.
STARTER
SERVES 4
15 ripe vine tomatoes, chopped
a few pieces of stale baguette
6 eggs
6 garlic cloves, peeled
olive oil
cayenne pepper
red wine vinegar
butter
16–20 anchovy fillets
salt
• Using a stick blender, purée the tomatoes, bread, 2 eggs and the garlic cloves with a generous dash of olive oil, a pinch of salt, cayenne pepper and a splash of red wine vinegar until you have a smooth soup. Chill in the fridge.
• To poach the remaining eggs, bring a pan of water to the boil. Grease some cling film and place in a cup. Break one egg into the cup.
• Carefully lift out the cling film with the egg and tie a knot to enclose the egg. Repeat with the other 3 eggs. Place the eggs in the hot water and cook for about 3 minutes until the whites are set.
• Spoon the soup into four bowls, then unwrap the poached eggs and place one in the middle of each bowl.
• Finish with the anchovy fillets and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper to serve.
SNACK/STARTER
SERVES 4
THIS is a great snack to make when you have potato skins left over from another dish. Make plenty as it is very more-ish.
4 tbsp mayonnaise
6 anchovy fillets, mashed
8 rosemary leaves, finely chopped
olive oil
4 handfuls of potato skins
sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
a sprig of rosemary, to garnish
• Mix the mayonnaise with the anchovies and rosemary, then season with a little white pepper.
• Heat about 5cm/2in olive oil in a heavy-based pan to 170°C/325°F.
• Fry the potato skins until crisp and golden brown.
• Remove the skins from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
• Season the skins with sea salt and serve with the dip.
MAIN COURSE
SERVES 4
1 tin of anchovy fillets in olive oil (50g/1¾oz), drained
milk (to desalt the anchovy)
250g/9oz butter
1 bunch of sage, leaves separated
500g/1lb 2oz gnocchi
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
freshly ground white pepper
• Soak the anchovy fillets for a few minutes in lukewarm water or milk. Drain and pat dry.
• To clarify the butter, put the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and leave to melt completely, without allowing it to brown.
• Remove the pan from the heat. With a spoon, remove the milk solids from the butter.
• Place the pan back over a medium heat and fry the sage leaves in the butter until crispy.
• Remove the pan from the heat, take out the leaves and leave to drain on kitchen paper.
• Cook the gnocchi in boiling water according to the package instructions.
• Portion the gnocchi out onto four plates. Pour over the sage butter and sprinkle with parsley and pepper.
• Add the crispy sage leaves and anchovy to the gnocchi and serve immediately.
MAIN COURSE
SERVES 4
CHIMICHURRI is a spicy Argentinean sauce served with red meat. In this version, the anchovy and tomato paste add depth of flavour.
600g/1lb 5oz beef tenderloin, cut into large pieces
2 red chillies, cut lengthways and deseeded
olive oil
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp coarse sea salt
2 tsp black pepper (preferably first dry-roasted in a frying pan)
8 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tsp chopped oregano
2 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
6 anchovy fillets
2 tsp red wine vinegar
skewers
• Take the meat out of the fridge half an hour before cooking. If you are using wooden or bamboo skewers, put them in cold water to soak.
• In a frying pan, bring about 5mm/¼in of water to the boil. Turn down the heat once it starts boiling, add the red chillies and boil for 5 minutes.
• Remove the chillies from the water and pat dry. Cut the flesh from the skin.
• Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan. Turn down the heat and fry off the tomato purée for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
• Put the salt, black pepper and garlic cloves in a mortar. Bash until you have a thick paste. Add the red chilli, the herbs and the anchovies and work into the paste. Add the tomato purée and the red wine vinegar.
• Thread the meat onto skewers and season with salt.
• Cook the meat on a hot grill for about 3 minutes in total, turning frequently, or until cooked to your liking.
• Serve the meat with the chimichurri sauce.
MAIN COURSE
SERVES 4
1 tin of anchovy fillets in olive oil (50g/1¾oz), drained
olive oil
2 brown onions, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 roll ready-made puff pastry
100g/3½oz black olives, pitted and halved
100g/3½oz Gruyère cheese, grated
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
• Soak the anchovies in cold water for a few minutes to remove excess salt. Drain and lightly pat dry.
• Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onions and sugar and fry over a medium heat until lightly browned.
• Remove the onions from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Take the puff pastry and cut out a rectangle of 25cm/10in wide (or the width of the roll) by 40cm/16in long. Fold 1cm/½in of the edge over twice to make a case.
• Spread the onions in the pastry case. Place the anchovies diagonally across the top. Sprinkle the olives and cheese over the top. Brush the pastry edges with the beaten egg yolk.
• Bake the anchovy tart in the oven for 15–20 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Serve hot or warm.
