Easy Anchovies with Herbs and Salads

In this recipe by Chef Andre Signoret, anchoiade is used as a salad dressing to make a sumptuous and gorgeous-looking salad entrée. Anchovies with herbs and salads have a sharp and salty taste that stimulates the palate and prepares the appetite for a hearty feast. Serve it with a glass of rose wine such as a Cotes du Roussillon rose to bring out its tangy bite. This is one of the easy recipes for dinner that you can make and it's originally from Gourmandia.

Anchoiade, also spelled as anchoyade, is a thick paste of anchovies, garlic and olive oil that is prepared the same way as aioli. It is a very old recipe that dates back to the roman times and originates in Provence. It is typically spread on bread or toast served as a first course and is also a popular condiment that gives life to a hard-boiled egg or enhances tomato sauce, meats, and other recipes. 

Delicious vegetables call for anchovies packed in salt, they are somewhat difficult to come by, anchovies packed in oil are much easier to find. This recipe here features spring leeks and spring garlic (delicious, and almost undistinguishable from each other except for the shape of their base, straight for the leek and rounded for the garlic), purple lettuce, rocket, mesclun, endives, raw fennel, violet artichokes, carrots with their tops, turnips with their tops, broad beans, basil, thyme, lemon, tarragon, mint and chives. The choice of fresh veggies provides a nice variety of tastes (sweet, aniseedy, sharp, peppery) to match the salty smooth anchoiade.

To make the anchoiade, soak anchovies in cold water, drain and pat dry. In a large mortar, pound the anchovies with garlic, adding olive oil little by little, until you get a very smooth puree. Stir in some lemon juice and season with pepper. You can also use a food processor to get a thick and even emulsion.

Recommended Wine

Cotes du Roussillon rose

Ingredients

Anchoiade:

anchovy fillet

garlic

olive oil

Vegetables:

carrots

tomatoes

celery

zucchini

fennel

fava bean

small artichokes

green onions

Herbs:

basil

thyme

lemon

tarragon

mint

Salad:

purslane

mesclun (chervil, arugula, leafy lettuces and endive in equal proportions)

arugula

TREVICE

endive

Preparation Instructions

Peel the violet artichokes and make an incision at the bottoms. Slice them down to the middle to cook more quickly. Boil them for a couple of minutes until al dente.

Get the small carrot with its top, peel and slice in two. Cut into very fine slices with the top still on for decorative purposes. Do the same with the turnip. Cut the bottom of the spring onion and split the top down the middle. Pod the beans.

Cook the vegetables in boiling water with some salt until they are al dente. Let rest and place in cold water for a few seconds and drain to keep them nice and bright.

Make a bouquet of the lettuce and the herbs on a clean plate. You have to build them up, placing the vegetables high on the plate for maximum appeal. Presentation is a key element in this dish. Place the vegetables on the plate, arranging them in a nice pattern where colors are scattered all over the plate but in a neat way.

To finish off, make a vegetable tile using a special tile mold and potato starch, chickpeas, starch, water and butter. Cook in the oven n a not-stick plaque. Place the vegetable tile at the back of the lettuce heap to make the plate look really nice.

Drip anchoiade sauce around the salad plate and serve.