Recipe from Anna Hezel
Adapted by Christina Morales
- Total Time
- 10 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 5 minutes
- Rating
- 4(150)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Straight out of the tin, anchovies can be assertive, but their umami flavor can be judiciously harnessed, adding depth to Caesar salad dressing, pasta puttanesca and other recipes. Affordable and accessible, jarred or canned anchovies can be a great introduction to tinned fish. This butter, from Anna Hezel’s cookbook, “Tin to Table: Fancy, Snacky Recipes for the Tin-thusiasts and A-fish-ionados” (Chronicle Books, 2023), makes good use of anchovy’s salty notes, taming it with fresh herbs and lemon to create a bright green spread that has many uses: Baste it over a seared steak, toss it with pasta or roasted vegetables, melt it and toss with fresh popcorn, or cook an egg in it. Anchovies can provide a salty, funky undercurrent or a whack of flavor; they may be diminutive but their presence is substantial. —Christina Morales
Featured in: For Tinned Fish Obsessives, ‘Affordable Luxury’ Comes in a Can
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Ingredients
Yield:⅔ cup
- ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- 5anchovy fillets in olive oil
- ½(packed) cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- ½lemon, finely zested, plus 1 teaspoon juice
- 1garlic clove, minced
- ¼teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
220 calories; 23 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 191 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
In a blender or mini food processor, combine all the ingredients and whir until the parsley and anchovies appear to be evenly distributed throughout the butter, scraping down the sides as needed. (Alternately, you can chop the parsley very finely, mash together the garlic and chopped anchovies until a paste forms, then stir all the butter ingredients together until combined. You won’t get such bright green results, but it will still taste delicious.) Taste, and season with more pepper if desired. Store, refrigerated, in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.
Ratings
4
out of 5
150
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Cooking Notes
Mx.Sofie
Sounds great. I went to the fast assemble version. Layer tartine as follows.Rub raw garlic on the toast. Butter the toast. Lay several fillets on top of butter. Grind a bit o pepper.Cilantro/parsley chopped coarse Halve a tomato and squeeze out a juicy tomato over greens.FUN!! (Eat skin and hard pulp on the side).Squeeze of lemon.Drizzle EvooSprinkle Maldon saltBottle of Viogner is nice with this Umami goodness
Heather
YUM!!!YUM YUM!! When I taste tested this I immediately began to brainstorm. “How can I incorporate this delicious buttery goodness into sauces, slather on a grilled steak, etc etc
Fiasco
I whipped this together in a bowl with a tined fork (and a bit of elbow grease), avoiding the mess left over in a blender or food processor.
P.Kaye Hanifee
We were in Tokyo this summer and went to a restaurant where the chef cooked in front of us (he made a lot of Okinawa style okonomiyaki) One of his other specialties was a mozzarella cheese sandwich on milk bread grilled in anchovy butter. It was sublime and this version of anchovy butter would be fabulous.
Michael Fischer
To Michael from Maryland… don’t add the whole half of lemon. Recipe tells you to take half a lemon..,. Zest it into the other ingredients… then squeeze in one teaspoon of lemon juice. Set aside remaining lemon for other use or discard.
Ess
I’m thinking I might make a batch and freeze it in smaller portions. Butter freezes perfectly but I am wondering about the anchovies within the mixture. Any thoughts on this?
Chris B.
Anchovy paste might make it easy to blend with the remaining ingredients. Figure 1/2 Tsp. paste is the equivalent of 1 anchovy fillet.
jimmy
Easy to prep in a bowl without dirtying food processor. Went heavy on the anchovies. Not surprisingly it was even better the day after, when flavors had blended. I can imagine many uses.
Adele Smith
I used end of season fresh basil which gave the anchovies sweetness. I'd reduce the amount of butter in the future. Delicious with roasted potatoes.
Heidi
Ess. It does freeze wonderfully!
Heidi
Ess. It freezes perfectly well!!!!
Teesa
I made this using curly parsley instead of flat-leaf (limited options at my market that day) and loved it. It's delicious on crusty, toasted bread, obviously. But I think I'm going to try it on pasta. I can also imagine it would be fantastic on chicken. Wonderful combination of flavors.
Heidi
I love this soooo much!!! This a forever recipe in my family now!
Christina
My new favorite savory spread on thin sourdough toast - such a sharp and salty buttery treat
Lee K
Because butter is not allowed for me, I might try combining these ingredients with white beans. Any tips are welcomed.
Adele Smith
I used end of season fresh basil which gave the anchovies sweetness. I'd reduce the amount of butter in the future. Delicious with roasted potatoes.
Ferguson
Fabulous. Worth cleaning the blender.
Alice
Smoked mackerel pate (smoked mackerel, butter and lemon juice) freezes perfectly, so I'm sure this would, too.
jimmy
Easy to prep in a bowl without dirtying food processor. Went heavy on the anchovies. Not surprisingly it was even better the day after, when flavors had blended. I can imagine many uses.
Jeff
Double or triple the quantity of anchovies to give the recipe more punch...
Chris B.
Anchovy paste might make it easy to blend with the remaining ingredients. Figure 1/2 Tsp. paste is the equivalent of 1 anchovy fillet.
J. Marty
Made it and loved it! I cant wait to slather on steak & crsty bread.
Michael Fischer
To Michael from Maryland… don’t add the whole half of lemon. Recipe tells you to take half a lemon..,. Zest it into the other ingredients… then squeeze in one teaspoon of lemon juice. Set aside remaining lemon for other use or discard.
Pamela
Could I sub anchovy paste for the fillets?
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