Anchovies Belong In Way More Salad Dressings Than Just Caesar

Anchovies are the single ingredient that brings knockout meaty, umami, flavor to any recipe, plus a piquant kick of salt. Luckily for intrepid home cooks, they're wicked easy to incorporate into dishes (or dressings) that don't normally use them – and for the record, anchovies belong in far more than just your Caesar salad dressing.

Those little fishies bring salty tang and more umami flair for a flavor profile that's dimensional yet well-balanced. Anchovies also create a more luscious texture in your salad dressings for a richer mouthfeel, yet they dissolve once pulverized into your creamy dressings, leaving behind a major knockout flavor. 

To do it, simply chop up your anchovy filets into a fine mince and toss 'em into your sauce, or add whole filets to the food processor and pulse away. That's it. As far as how much to add, that entirely depends on your personal taste preference. For a reference point, classic Caesar salad dressing uses six anchovy filets per ½ cup of oil. As you experiment with your salad dressing recipe, start with three anchovies per batch and adjust to taste from there, adding more if desired and taste-testing after each addition. For the most flavorful anchovy-packed dressing, make it ahead of time and allow those umami anchovies to intermingle with the other flavors overnight. In addition to fresh salads, you could even use it as a moisture element in this cauliflower potato salad, or smear it on sandwiches and wraps.

We recommend using oil-packed tinned anchovies for the best flavor and texture. You could totally use fresh anchovies here too, but they present a sweeter flavor and require more prep work. For the purposes of elevating your salad dressings, umami, intensely briny anchovies packed in oil are the way to go. If you don't end up using the entire can in one sitting, we have a few tips for properly storing your opened can for peak freshness.

Anchovies would make a natural fit in bold, funky, umami blue cheese dressing, or add impressive depth to buttermilk ranch. Those oily little fishies would also add a salty kick to sweet-sour French dressing, tangy Thousand Island dressing, or garlic aioli – all of which could be used as a salad dressing, a flavorful dip, or spread for wraps and sandwiches.

To really let the umami-bomb anchovies shine, use your creamy, briny dressing to cover a bitter chicory salad with radicchio and endive. You could drizzle anchovy-loaded blue cheese dressing over a Winter salad with apples, pine nuts, pickled peppers, and blood oranges. Or, use anchovy-packed lush, herbaceous Green Goddess dressing to dress a Springtime salad with ramps, sage flowers, tarragon, dill, and snap peas. It'd be extra delicious if you added some sauteed seasonal garlic scapes to showcase spring's bounty and complement the briny fish.