Anchovy Butter

Easy-to-make compound butters are excellent ingredients to have at hand as they can add a touch of flavor to all sorts of preparations, from veggies to steak, fish, or chicken. Delicious on fresh bread, compound butters are often made with herbs, spices, or in our case with anchovies. They require very little work but deliver big flavor. These butters can be made in large amounts and then frozen until it's time to use. This recipe requires just two ingredients, 20 minutes of preparation, and ideally at least one hour in the fridge for it to hold its shape, though you can use it right away if needed. A pat of anchovy butter on a medium-rare steak or fillet of halibut or haddock is a real treat. Don't hesitate to put it on some grilled asparagus spears or steamed broccoli florets, as well.

You'll need unsalted butter and rightly so as anchovies are very salty on their own. Naturally salty because of their saltwater origin, anchovies are sold preserved in oil and salt is used to prevent bacterial growth, making them even saltier. You can, of course, find fresh anchovies, but for the purpose of this recipe, you need canned anchovies.

Anchovy butter is one of many common variations on Maître d'Hôtel butter or compound butter,, which is typically rolled into cylinders, chilled, and sliced into little pats for a pretty presentation. You can make your own flavor of compound butter by adding ingredients like lemon zest and lemon juice, black pepper and garlic, or mixed dried or fresh herbs.