Anchoïade is Provence’s purest expression of the anchovy—a thick, rustic paste of salt-cured anchovies pounded with garlic, olive oil, and a splash of red wine vinegar that serves as a dip, spread, and universal seasoning. Unlike tapenade (which centres on olives) or pissalat (which uses fermented anchovies), anchoïade features the anchovy front and centre, its salty, umami-rich intensity tempered only by garlic and good oil. The traditional preparation uses a marble mortar and wooden pestle: 200g salt-packed anchovies (rinsed, filleted, and patted dry) are pounded with 4 crushed garlic cloves until a rough paste forms, then olive oil is drizzled in gradually while pounding continues, creating a thick emulsion—not smooth like mayonnaise, but textured, with visible flecks of anchovy and garlic. A tablespoon of red wine vinegar and a grind of black pepper finish the paste. The mortar technique is superior to the food processor because the pounding ruptures cell walls differently, releasing the anchovy’s flavour compounds more fully while maintaining the rustic texture that defines the preparation. Anchoïade is served three ways in Provence: as a dip for raw vegetables (crudités—radishes, celery, fennel, peppers, endive), spread on toast rounds and grilled (tartines d’anchoïade), or used as a seasoning paste rubbed on lamb, fish, or roasted vegetables before cooking. The preparation is ancient—it descends directly from the Roman garum tradition, and Provence’s coastal cities have been producing anchovy preparations since antiquity.
Use salt-packed whole anchovies, not oil-packed fillets—they have superior flavour and texture. Pound in a mortar for the proper rustic texture—a food processor makes it too smooth. Add oil gradually to create a thick emulsion without making it loose. A splash of vinegar is essential to cut the richness. The paste should be thick enough to hold on a crudité without dripping.
Soak salt-packed anchovies in milk for 15 minutes before using—the casein binds excess salt and any bitterness, leaving pure anchovy flavour. For the finest crudité presentation, arrange the vegetables on crushed ice in a Provençal terracotta bowl with the mortar of anchoïade at the centre—the cold vegetables against the room-temperature paste provides a temperature contrast that enhances both. When using as a cooking paste, combine anchoïade with softened butter to make beurre d’anchois—slipped under the skin of chicken or melted over grilled lamb chops, it’s one of Provence’s great secret weapons.
Using oil-packed anchovy fillets, which are milder and mushier than salt-packed. Making it too smooth in a blender—anchoïade should have texture. Using too much garlic, which overwhelms the anchovy—the fish should dominate. Omitting the vinegar, which leaves the paste heavy and one-dimensional. Adding capers or olives, which turns it into tapenade rather than anchoïade.
La Cuisinière Provençale — J.-B. Reboul