Anchoïade
Anchovies melted into olive oil with garlic and served warm for dipping raw vegetables into. Three ingredients and no way to hide behind any of them.
Photograph credit: Anchoïade by Arnaud 25 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Making Anchoïade Ahead
Refrigerated for a week. Rewarm very gently; it separates if boiled.
Anchoïade: The Method
Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.
-
Put the anchovies, garlic and olive oil in a small pan over the lowest possible heat.
-
Warm them gently for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring and pressing the anchovies with a wooden spoon.
-
They will gradually dissolve into the oil. Do not let the oil sizzle or the garlic take any colour.
-
Once no pieces of anchovy remain, take the pan off the heat.
-
Whisk in the vinegar, mustard and pepper. It will thicken slightly.
-
Taste — it should not need salt.
-
Pour into a warm bowl and serve immediately, surrounded by raw vegetables and bread.
Related guide: Ingredient substitutions.
Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.
A Few Pointers
- The lowest heat you have. Coloured garlic ruins it.
- Melt the anchovies rather than blending them.
- Serve warm — it dulls as it sets.
Why the Method Is What It Is
The anchovies are melted rather than blended, over the gentlest possible heat, and the difference matters: warmed slowly in oil they dissolve completely and lose their fishy edge, where blitzed raw they stay grainy and aggressive. Keep the heat low enough that the oil never sizzles — if the garlic colours at all, the whole thing turns bitter. Serve it warm, since it sets and dulls as it cools.
Good Alongside
Raw vegetables · Baguette · A glass of rosé
Swaps and Variations
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
Anchoïade Nutrition
Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: an ingredient listed without an amount is not counted, so the figures run low. How the figures are worked out.
Gluten-free when served without the toasted baguette.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
You Might Also Like
More French cooking and appetizers ideas from Weekly Delight.
Jambon Persillé
Ham set in a parsley jelly made from its own cooking stock, from Burgundy. Turned out and sliced, and the parsley…
Carottes Râpées
Grated carrot in a lemon and mustard dressing with parsley. Two minutes of work, and the only variable that matters…
Rillettes de Porc
Pork shoulder cooked for hours in its own fat until it can be pulled to threads, packed into a pot and sealed. A…
Salade de Lentilles
Green lentils dressed hot with mustard vinaigrette and shallot. Puy lentils if you can, because they hold their…
Foie Gras
Slices of duck foie gras seared for a minute a side until crisp outside and soft within, served on toast with fig jam.
Escargots à la Bourguignonne
Snails baked under garlic and parsley butter until it bubbles over the shells. The butter is the recipe; the snails…