Add flavour to butter and depth to dinners or explore unexpected ways to use anchovies, from biscuits to roast potatoes!
Spaghetti with sad salad leaves, chilli, anchovy and garlic
This quick midweek meal is a great way to use up those wilting salad leaves hiding at the back of the fridge, creating a pasta dish full of flavour from garlic, chilli, anchovy and parmesan.
Broccoli “sauce”
Is this a topping, spread or sauce? It can be all of them! This recipe is incredibly versatile – use it to top pasta, pizza or crostini. A long cooking time melds broccoli, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, water and olive oil together and the resulting “sauce” tastes rich, mellow and nothing at all like blanched broccoli. You can add drained canned white beans, flaked canned tuna and/or dried chili flakes to taste.
Roast potatoes with tomatoes and anchovies
"I love anchovies (I call them 'lil hairy boys'), and I'm always happy to see them on a plate. This is my take on Julia Busuttil Nishimura's recipe," says Gen Fricker, who cooked this tasty dish on The Cook Up. Small potatoes and cherry tomatoes get extra flavour from anchovy fillets and chilli, all roasted in one tray for an easy dinner side.
Roast cauliflower and anchovy fritters
Add golden crunch and salty flavour to cauliflower with this recipe from Leanne Kitchen. Throw a few handfuls of grated parmesan into the batter mixture if you like, too.
Chicken thigh casserole with tomato and anchovies
From the Matthew Evans depository of comfort food, comes this hearty and fragrant recipe for chicken thigh casserole with rosemary, garlic, tomato and anchovies. Serve with rice or with a creamy potato mash.
Pissaladiere tart
This anchovy, olive and onion tart on a homemade dough base, which originated in the south of France, is great for relaxed dinners or picnics. Natalie Paull, who shared this recipe on The Cook Up, says her family love to eat it on Christmas Eve.
Anchovy sables
Sable, a savoury shortbread biscuit, originated in Normandy and dates back to the 19th century. Commonly flavoured with parmesan or similar cheeses, this recipe from Matthew Evans adds anchovies for an extra hit of salty flavour.
Broccoli pasta with anchovies, chilli and currants
If you're looking for a tasty recipe that doesn't taste of anchovies, try this. It's bright and full of flavour. The combination of salty, sweet, creamy and crunchy is an absolute winner, plus you get your quota of greens for the day, too.
Spicy hand-torn noodle soup (sujebi)
This Korean soup has a welcome fiery kick, making it perfect comfort food for cold winter days. Handmade noodles and potato cook in a tasty stock full of flavour from gochujang (Korean red pepper paste), kimchi and dried anchovies.
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Baked fennel with anchovy crumbs
Baked fennel – particularly when teamed with the saltiness of anchovies, the crunch of crisp breadcrumbs and the savouriness of fresh thyme – is one of the best side dishes winter has to offer, says Anneka Manning. Try it in her recipe for this dish, best eaten straight from the oven, while the fennel is warm and the bread chunks still crisp, but also makes good leftovers.
Mozzarella, sage and anchovy balls (Sfineğ)
Light and crispy, sfineġ are traditional Maltese fritters often enjoyed as a snack or part of a family meal, especially at Easter. Made with a simple batter and fried until golden, they capture the comfort of everyday Maltese cooking. This version from Shane Delia combines mozzarella, sage and anchovies in the filling, a winning combination!
Sand whiting jungle curry
Palisa Anderson uses anchovies in the curry paste for this Thai-style fish curry dish. Other white fish, such as snapper, can be used if you can't get sand whiting.
Pampushky with anchovy and garlic butter
Pampushky are yeasted Ukrainian garlic bread roll, typically baked in a round baking dish. Adam Liaw adds plenty of anchovies to the garlic butter served with his version, to amp up the umami flavour.
Coffee pappardelle with burrata, olives and anchovy
Try something different with this homemade pasta recipe from Luca Ciano! The coffee adds flavour and a lovely speckle to the pasta, which is a great match with the creamy burrata, olives and caramelised onion.
Broccolini with almonds, anchovy and chilli
With vibrant colour, crunch and flavour this is a great side for many dishes: Earthy broccolini combined with salty anchovy, a little heat from chilli and crunchy almonds, all brought together with butter and lemon.
Beef with anchovy and garlic jus
Make an anchovy and garlic paste and use it to flavour the sauce served with these steaks. The dish is a good way to use lesser-known cuts such as scotch or chuck eye steaks.
Anchovy bread (pane con acciughe)
If you love warm garlic bread, try this idea for adding flavour to a loaf of bread. Cut the loaf in half, top one half with anchovies, sliced chilli, olive oil and oregano, and bake til heated through!
Charred zucchini with tarragon, anchovy and capers
Zucchini is a humble and plentiful veg. It's also versatile, as this recipe from chef Rodney Dunn shows. Grilling the halved zucchini adds texture and richer flavour. Paired with a buttery dressing with capers, anchovies and tarragon, it's a great barbecue dish (or make it with a chargrill pan).
Grandma pizza
The sauce is saucing on this pizza! Tinned tomatoes meet basil, oregano, garlic and anchovies for a quick whizz in a food processor for an easy sauce to top homemade pizza dough (just one rise needed for this pizza), along with lots of grated mozzarella.
Fattoush market salad
This salad, with anchovies, juicy tomato, cucumber, radish and parsley, comes from Ainsley Harriott, who was inspired to make this after visiting a market in Istanbul.
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