‘Anchoas con Brioche y Mantequilla’ (Anchovies with Brioche and Butter)

Madrid, Spain

                   This is a love letter to my baby sister and the amazing family trip we took to Madrid, where she currently resides, in late November. One common starter dish in many of the outstanding local restaurants we were lucky enough to visit was simply ‘Anchovies on toast.’ It’s easy to make, and in my opinion, there’s not much room for error. The beauty of cooking with anchovies is that they do all the work themselves! These small, oily fish have a long European history, once circulated by coastal traders who preserved them in oils and vinegar. People would often say, “Buy them, eat them, and they will keep you warm all winter!” Anchovies, with their rich flavour, were perfect as “small [oily] realities,” or as tapas in many a Spanish taberna.

So, this is my ode to the little anchovy—and to my little sister—both of whom I wish will keep themselves warm all winter long!

Some delicious sources of inspiration

Ingredients:

Tin of good quality Cantabrian anchovies

50g unsalted butter

30g pecorino

½ tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp fresh, finely chopped sage

½ tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp good quality olive oil / oil from tin

2 finely chopped large garlic cloves

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp lemon juice

Chopped fresh chive (to garnish)

½ side of gluten free brioche roll/ 1 slice of bread, cut into strips. I used these GF brioche rolls : https://www.warburtons.co.uk/products/gluten-wheat-and-milk-free/4-brioche-rolls-gf/

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Put parchment paper onto an oven tray and slice bread into thin ‘soldier’ slices. Add oil (I used the oil from anchovy tin here, but feel free to use olive oil or lower fat alternative oil etc.), paprika, pepper, salt and pepper over the top and massage into the bread. Once bread coated in oil and seasoning place tray in oven for around 30 mins. An Air-fryer could take less time if you have one/fancy trying!

Soldiers assemble!

Meanwhile in a bowl add butter. Mix until soft and slightly ‘whipped’ up. Add in black pepper, chilli flakes, lemon juice, sage, garlic and pecorino. Mix thoroughly together to combine. Season to taste. Consistency should be light yet still hold as butter - again should be ‘whipped’ in texture. Leave to one side while bread is getting crisped up!

Once toast is ready (should be crostini-like in texture – hard and well toasted), it is anchovy time! Let toast cool slightly before assembling.

On top of your toast add a generous layer of the pecorino, sage butter. Add 1 to 2 anchovy filets over top. Garnish with fresh cut chives and voila!

Chef’s Notes:

If possible, you should definitely use the Warbutons GF rolls that I used! Alternatively, you could add this to sourdough toast in the morning, for a snack or whenever you like! The beauty of this dish is that it serves GREAT as a canapé at a fancy dinner whilst also being a comforting and hearty brekkie! It’s delicious.

Health Benefits:

Anchovies are amazing little punches of protein, packed in their tins with good quality oil rich in healthy fats and omegas!