Seafood Made Simple: Why anchovies are a chef's secret weapon to boost flavour

These sage and anchovy puff pastry straws are also fantastic served with a bowl of soup. Picture: Chani Anderson

I consider anchovies to be one of the very best flavour enhancers there is.

A secret weapon in a chef’s arsenal of ingredients, they are the body in a rich tomato sauce, the umami in a salad dressing, the ultimate pizza topping and the most satiating of snacks.

I love them in all their forms, the robust little fillets packed in coarse sea salt in those tiny jars, canned and submerged in rich olive oil and the pickled anchovy – boquerones – more delicate in flavour with the addition of vinegar and my favourite of all conservas.

This weekend I’m sharing a simple little snack, perfect for entertaining at this time of year. You can serve these as one of several canapés, they are great with a meat and cheese board or change things up this Christmas and do a tinned fish and pickles board!

These sage and anchovy puff pastry straws are also fantastic served with a bowl of soup. (They’re perfect for grazing too and keeping people out of your kitchen when you’re trying to figure out the logistics of how to feed them all hot food at once!)

I’ve used my usual go-to, Cantabrian anchovies, for this recipe from the well managed fishery in the Bay of Biscay, that have prioritised the preservation of this species. Such simple recipes like this really do rely on good quality ingredients, and a little of these go a very long way. The flavour of the anchovy mellows while its cooking and is not at all ‘fishy’ but deeply savoury and delicious. Who doesn’t love crunchy, salty snacks?

I have used one sheet of shop-bought puff pastry for this recipe, which is such a handy little product to have stashed in the fridge or freezer when you happen to have friends over.

Chef know-how

Puff pastry preforms best when kept chilled throughout shaping and before baking. If you can, place the egg-washed strips in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes before baking for maximum puffed layers.

If using frozen puff pastry make sure to be organised and defrost in the refrigerator.

You can prepare these straws a day in advance, just make sure they are tightly covered in the fridge to prevent the pastry from drying out.

You can swap sage for thyme or chopped rosemary and clementine for lemon or orange.

If you’re not an anchovy enthusiast, this recipe works well with parmesan too.

During December I like to keep a clementine or two in the freezer. I find it makes them much easier to zest.

Sage & anchovy puff pastry straws

They’re perfect for grazing too and keeping people out of your kitchen when you’re trying to figure out the logistics of how to feed them all hot food at once

Servings

16

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 18 mins

Total Time

 33 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 1 x 320g sheet puff pastry

• 1 small tin anchovies (or 16 anchovies)

• 1 small bunch of sage

• 1 clementine, zested

• 1 egg

• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. On a lightly floured cold surface lay out the puff pastry. Make a small incision halfway along the length of the pastry and fold over to crease the sheet in half.

3. Use a sharp knife to cut the sheet of pastry in half along the crease. Set one half of the pastry aside. This will be used to sandwich the anchovy filling.

4. Lightly brush the whole surface area of one half of the pastry with egg wash.

5. Lay the anchovies across the pastry horizontally in rows, spacing them out to cover the whole sheet of pastry and to make sure eat bite has a little anchovy.

6. Space the sage leaves with stalks removed across the pastry, also laying them in rows. Press down to ensure they stick to the egg-washed pastry.

7. Zest the clementine to cover the whole sheet with a little Christmas citrus.

8. Use freshly cracked pepper toseason the sheet generously.

9. Place the other half sheet of pastry on top of the anchovy, sage and clementine decorated sheet of pastry. Using a rolling pin press lightly to create a seal.

10. Cut the pastry into 1x 8 inch strips using a sharp knife. Place on a large, lined baking tray, leaving a gap between each strip to allow the pastry to puff. Brush lightly with egg wash. I also like to add a few slivers of finely sliced sage to decorate at this stage.

11. Bake in the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack before serving. Store in an airtight container once cooled if not serving immediately.