A Drizzle Of Anchovy Oil Is What Your Tomato Soup Has Been Missing

Tinned fish may be having a moment right now, but today, we're setting our sights on another, perhaps less-commonly-reached-for fishy ingredient: anchovy oil. If you've never worked with it before, anchovy oil is a multipurpose condiment that brings all the multi-dimensional salty, savory, briny, umami power your go-to recipe circulation has been missing.

Anchovies (not to be confused with sardines) are nothing short of a nuclear bomb of flavor and depth, which can be especially helpful for keeping good old reliable tomato soup from getting, well, boring. Plus, this impressive, mature dinner can be made entirely from shelf-stable goods (tinned fish and canned tomato soup), so you can keep everything you need on hand for dinnertime on a busy weeknight when you don't want to leave the house. If you're making your tomato soup from scratch, use mushroom broth for an extra hit of umami.

You don't have to purchase an expensive bottle of artisanal oil; you can use the packing oil from tinned anchovies. The best flavor can be found in 100% extra virgin olive oil, but any anchovies packed in oil will take your tomato soup to the next level. Alternatively, if you're short on the canning oil, drop a few anchovy filets into a pan of hot oil and simmer until the fish all but disintegrate, drizzling your tomato soup with the resulting oil. A little goes a long way with this flavorful ingredient, so start with a light sprinkling and adjust to taste from there.

You could drizzle that anchovy oil onto this Roasted Tomato Soup, or this Vegan Roasted Tomato Soup, which swaps the heavy cream for luscious full-fat unsweetened coconut milk. Finish it off with flavorful garnishes like chili flakes, fresh basil, bonito seaweed flakes, smoked paprika, or black and white sesame seeds. Toppings aside, you could also stir in a dollop of red miso paste for umami depth or gochujang for a sweet-spicy kick. 

To complete the meal, serve your anchovy oil tomato soup with a hunk of buttered crusty bread, grilled aubergine, and a fresh Caesar salad with homemade croutons. The anchovy dressing will drive the fishy flavor profile home. To let the tomato and fish flavors shine, opt for a dry medium-bodied Sauvignon Blanc. Or, if red wine is more your style, a bright Chianti would complement the sweet acidity of the tomatoes. You could even whip up a martini with a few drops of anchovy oil and as many olives as your heart desires.

If you plan on incorporating anchovy oil into your recipes more frequently, it might be helpful to purchase a larger jar of anchovies in oil rather than individual tins of fish. You can stash the opened jar in the fridge. Pro tip: To stretch that crave-able anchovy oil a little further, keep topping off your jarred anchovies with more extra virgin olive oil, which will infuse with the fish filets and take on the flavor.