Anchovy Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Pound the anchovies in a mortar until they form a pulp.
Add cold spring water to the mortar, shake, and pour it into a saucepan with the pounded anchovies.
Heat the mixture over a slow fire, stirring frequently until melted, about 5 minutes.
Stir in cayenne pepper and let it warm for a few more minutes.
Rub the sauce through a fine sieve using the back of a wooden spoon.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Anchovies
- Break down into a pulp and melt to give the sauce its salty, savoury depth.
- Cayenne pepper
- Adds a sharp, lingering heat that balances the richness of the anchovies.
The step that matters
Heating over a slow fire while stirring. Anchovies can scorch or turn bitter if overheated, so gentle heat and frequent stirring let them melt evenly into a smooth sauce.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More anchovy sauce recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.