French Recipes

Anchoïade

A cold Provençal paste of anchovy, garlic, olive oil and red wine vinegar, worked in a mortar until glossy, spreadable and still lightly textured.

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Anchoïade — toasted bread slices with a savory topping on a patterned plate
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 0 minutes
Total 45 minutes
Yield about 380 g
Ingredients ↓
Introduction and overview

Anchoïade — Provençal anchovy and garlic sauce

Anchoïade is a direct expression of Provençal pantry flavours: anchovy, garlic and olive oil, often sharpened with a little vinegar or lemon. It can be spread on bread or served with raw vegetables, but the sauce itself should stay intensely savoury and recognisably fish-based. The proportions below leave out capers and olives so anchovy, garlic and olive oil remain clearly defined.

Texture matters more than perfect smoothness. Pounding anchovy and garlic in a mortar first creates a paste that can take up the oil gradually. The goal is not a fluffy mayonnaise; it is a glossy, spoonable sauce with a little texture and no separate pool of olive oil around the edge.

Because the preparation is cold and fish-based, it belongs in the refrigerator rather than on the pantry shelf. Do not compensate for the anchovies with extra salt. Their salinity varies by brand, which is also why the sodium estimate remains approximate even with measured quantities.

Success points

Success points

  • Drain the anchovies before weighing.
  • Create the anchovy-garlic paste before any oil is added.
  • Add the oil gradually until the paste stays glossy without separation.
Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 200 g anchovy fillets in olive oil, well drained
  • 15 g garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 150 ml extra-virgin olive oil, add gradually
  • 15 ml red wine vinegar
  • 1 g ground black pepper
Method

Method

Directions

  1. Pound the anchovy and garlic. Mash the garlic and anchovy fillets in a mortar for 5 minutes until they form a cohesive paste with a little visible texture. The mixture should cling to the pestle as a coarse-smooth paste with no large anchovy pieces. Mortar grinding disperses the fish and garlic without making the sauce aerated. Use clean utensils and keep the anchovies chilled until mixing.

  2. Work in the oil and vinegar. Add the olive oil gradually while continuing to pound and stir for 7 minutes, then work in the vinegar and black pepper. The finished anchoïade should be glossy and spreadable, with the oil held through the paste rather than forming a separate puddle. Gradual oil addition gives the fish-garlic paste time to bind the fat. Do not add extra salt; anchovies are already highly salted.

  3. Chill before serving. Transfer to a clean covered container and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. After chilling, the paste should be slightly firmer but still easy to spoon or spread. Brief chilling settles the flavours and keeps the fish preparation cold. Keep at 4 °C or below and return promptly to refrigeration after serving.

Serving, storage and planning

Practical

Serving, storage and planning

Serve small spoonfuls with raw vegetables or bread. The sauce can be made several hours ahead, covered and refrigerated. Hold at 4 °C or below, return it to the refrigerator promptly after serving and use within 2 days. It should not be reheated or described as shelf-stable. Salt-packed anchovies can be used only after thorough desalting and drying; they may still produce a saltier result. Lemon juice can replace vinegar as a flavour variation, but it changes the acidity profile and therefore the balance of the sauce.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

  • Oil separates around the pasteThe oil was added too quickly. Work the mixture against the mortar wall and incorporate the remaining oil more slowly.
  • The sauce tastes too saltyAnchovy salinity is dominating. Do not add salt; serve a smaller amount with unsalted vegetables or bread.
Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving

  • Serving sizeabout 60 g
  • Calories285 kcal
  • Carbohydrate1 g
  • Protein10 g
  • Fat27 g
  • Fibre0 g
  • Sodium1250 mg
Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Allergens: Fish.

Keep this fish-based cold sauce at 4 °C or below.

Do not leave out for more than 2 hours.

Use within 2 days and discard if the cold chain has been broken.

FAQ

FAQ

Does anchoïade need to be completely smooth?

No. Mortar preparation gives a cohesive, spreadable paste that still retains a little anchovy texture.

How long can it sit on an appetizer table?

Treat it as perishable fish food and return it to refrigeration before the two-hour limit is reached.

Closing

Closing

  • Result: a glossy, savoury anchovy-garlic paste with enough body to cling to bread or vegetables.
  • Decisive technique: pound the fish and garlic first, then incorporate olive oil slowly rather than blending everything at once.
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