My unofficial plan for 2025 is to catch up with some of my B.I.F.s (Best Ingredients Forever), and I’ll bet you can guess what’s at the top of the list. That’s right, anchovies! (Don’t worry, dear chocolate; we’ll touch base again around Valentine’s Day.)
The thing about anchovies is, the oomph-to-effort ratio is absurdly weighted in your favor. Slip just a few of those savory, umami filets into dressings, marinades, sauces and stews, and you’ll get back amazing depth of flavor without any of the fishiness that anchovy skeptics seem to fear. Many have been scarred by the takeout anchovy pizzas of yore, but isn’t it high time to give the wee fishes another chance?
They go full stealth mode in my garlicky chicken with lemon-anchovy sauce, melting quietly into the pan sauce, leaving only a pungent vibrancy that makes the lemon and capers all the richer. The recipe is flexible enough to use boneless chicken thighs or breasts — just watch the breasts carefully so they don’t overcook. Then make sure to serve this with some bread for mopping up the complex, caramelized pan sauce. You won’t want to leave a drop behind.
Featured Recipe
Garlicky Chicken With Lemon-Anchovy Sauce
Still on the fence? Then take it from Ken Wightman, a reader who wrote in the recipe notes: “I’m beginning to think Ms. Clark is onto something when she goes on and on about the magic of anchovies. I’ve slipped them into a number of meals and they seem to add sparkle without adding a ‘fishy’ taste. (My wife’s big fear.)” Amen, anchovy brother!
Anchovies are similarly invisible in Yasmin Fahr’s 20-minute spinach one-pot pasta, but they’re responsible for the saline intensity that makes a few humble ingredients — spinach, Parmesan, red pepper flakes, lemon — shine like the sun on the ocean.
More overt anchovies can be spotted on David Tanis’s delightful, diminutive crostini with sun-dried tomatoes and anchovy. These little toasts are simple to throw together if you have good sun-dried tomatoes on hand (use the kind packed in oil). Chop them up, spoon them on garlic-rubbed, toasted baguette slices and top them generously with the best anchovy filets you can get your hands on. A sprinkling of fresh rosemary adds an impeccable piney perfume. David recommends serving these as a nibble with drinks, but I also like them as a simple dinner, maybe accompanied by some sautéed broccoli rabe to round things out. (And don’t hesitate to throw a couple of anchovies into the greens, as I often do.)
Fish sauce, which is often made from anchovies (among other sea creatures), works a lot like anchovy fillets, except you don’t even have to chop. Just sprinkle some into any dish that needs verve and watch as the flavors instantly deepen and expand.
I love to use it in glazes (it’s excellent with eggplant) or to drizzle a bit into soups that are tasting a little flat. Kay Chun mixes a little of this magical elixir into her gingery pork meatballs. She also smushes in crushed Ritz crackers, which add a toasted, buttery flavor to the brawny pork. Plop these on top of a bowl of rice for dinner tonight and then save the leftovers to simmer in broth for a speedy soup tomorrow.
Now, I have to admit, dessert might be one of the few foods in this world that are not improved by anchovies or fish sauce. So, for the first and most likely last time in the history and future of these missives, I’m going to end as the French do: with a salad.
Tejal Rao’s sunset-hued citrus salad with peanuts and avocado can be made with any of the seasonal citrus fruit that’s so abundant right now, though a mix of grapefruit, blood or Cara Cara oranges and tangerines is prettiest. The fish sauce in the dressing contrasts with the tangy sweetness of the fruit juices, while the avocado adds creaminess and the peanuts lend crunch. And there’s nothing fishy about any of it.
As always, you do need to subscribe to get these recipes and the other thousands upon thousands we have at New York Times Cooking. If you need any technical advice, send a note to cookingcare@nytimes.com for help. And if you’d like to say hi, I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com.
That’s it for now, see you on Wednesday.
