November 18, 2009 | Breads
I’ve had this photo waiting in my saved food photo file for months, but for some reason keep forgetting to share it with you. I saw this on an episode of Bobby Flay’s Grill It! where he and his guest were showing different ways to do andouille sausage on the grill. His recipe was for a mixed grill dish that was enhanced at the end by adding some anchovy butter to it and served along with some grilled bread slathered with more of the anchovy butter.
If you think you hate anchovies, you probably do. But eating a whole anchovy is quite different than using anchovies to provide a background flavor that’s briny – tasting of the sea and salty. I hate anchovies whole, but I loved them in this recipe. The grilled bread with anchovy butter goes perfectly with a nice bouillabaisse, a gumbo, a mixed seafood paella, or grilled meats. Give it a try – if your dinner guests are like mine they won’t even know the secret ingredient!
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 4 anchovies, drained
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 thick slices crusty bread (ciabatta works well)
- Combine butter and anchovies in the food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill bread slices over a medium high flame until crusty and nice grill marks appear. Remove from grill and spread liberally with anchovy butter while still hot. Serve with soups or seafood stews.
