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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.