I had an opened jar of anchovies in the refrigerator from the photoshoot I did for my upcoming cookbook (Haute Potato, out this December). Since I’m the only one in our home who likes the oily, salted fish, I came up with a simple way of putting it to good use. I found the anchovies to be a bit too salty to my taste, so I ran them under cold water, then ground them into a paste. The flavor-packed mixture became the base of a salad dressing. The rest is really as it pleases you; I added a bit of horseradish mustard for a little heat, fruity extra-virgin olive oil and Champagne pear vinegar for a touch of decadence.
The salad was composed very simply of hard-cooked eggs, tomatoes, pine nuts and butter lettuce. Voilà!
1. Info for Anchovy Vinaigrette Recipe
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 25 min
- Servings: 1
- Calories: 200 kcal
2. Ingredients for Anchovy Vinaigrette Recipe
- 2 filets of anchovy, desalted
- 4 quail eggs (or 1 regular chicken egg)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, dry-toasted
- ¼ cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained
- ½ cup butter lettuce, shredded
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Champagne pear vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons horseradish mustard
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 piece noor flat bread (or any other bread)
3. Directions:
- For the anchovy paste: Coarsely chop the anchovies. In a mortar and pestle (or a mini-blender), grind into a smooth paste. Add honey, mustard, 1 tablespoon pine nuts and vinegar. Slowly add the olive oil; whisk until it’s emulsified. Adjust seasoning.
- For the hard-cooked quail eggs: Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover them with water. As soon as the water reaches a full boil, add salt. Lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Cover with a lid and let the quail eggs sit for about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to an ice bath. Cool the eggs completely. Peel and quarter them.
- Assembly time: Place the lettuce in an individual salad bowl. Top with the eggs. Sprinkle the pine nuts, capers and tomatoes over the greens. Add the anchovy vinaigrette and toss.