I was recently sent an email from a marketing company asking if I wanted a sample of their product to write about. I love free stuff; I kept reading. The product also happened to be one of my favorite things. White anchovies from Wild Planet Foods, based out of McKinley, California.
Mark and I had our first white anchovies when celebrating his 50th in Vernazza, a village in the Cinque Terre on Italy's Riviera. We had walked to Corniglia - a neighboring village on a cliff overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea - and found a little restaurant called La Cantina de Mananan. It still is there - in fact, my friend Carol was just there last year.
We ordered a feast and happily, before the order was submitted to the kitchen, we asked if they accepted credit cards. Good thing we asked! Our feast was scaled back but in no way did we suffer! Our server made a few suggestions and we ended up with one of our favorite meals ever. And, believe me, no one starved!
It started with a "Tris di Acciughe" or, a trio of anchovies. Until this time, we were only familiar with the mealy, intensely salty tinned variety used on pizza here in the States. We had never thought of them as fresh, fried, or pickled.
The trio included four varieties (maybe the chef couldn't count): fritti (fried), con peperoncini (with chile flakes), al limone (“cooked” in lemon juice), and accciughe bianche (white anchovies). The latter were preserved in olive oil, lemon, and oregano. They were like no anchovy we had ever eaten. We loved them.
So, when I was offered a sample of Wild Planet white anchovies, I jumped at the chance having great expectations that these were the same kind of fresh bright silvery fish we had in Italy.
That is the funny thing about expectations... they can really throw you a curve ball. The anchovies from Wild Planet are nothing like those in the Cinque Terre. But they are delicious! This is yet another variety of anchovy that has surprised and delighted me. I had expected to use them in some sort of salad-like dish but, once opened, my path changed. These are incredibly meaty, sweet, and mild in flavor, certainly not your local pizzeria's salty topper. After tasting one, I had visions of pasta. A sweet pasta with a Sicilian touch.
I raided the pantry and came up with this pasta dish. If you don't like anchovies, that is all the more reason to give these a try. I can easily imagine having these with a slice of tomato on fresh bread as a cicchetto, or mashed into a paste, mixed with breadcrumbs and celery and stuffed into calamari. How would you use them?
All Wild Planet products are available online through their website, as well as at most Whole Foods and Sprouts markets. The company is committed to producing the finest tasting wild seafood sourced from fisheries practicing sustainable fishing methods, in an effort to preserve the fragile marine ecosystem and aid in the repopulation of endangered species. With a mission and vision like that, who wouldn’t want to try their products?
~ David
Spaghetti with white anchovies, pine nuts, and sultanas
6 ounces dried spaghetti
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, cut into slivers
2 tablespoons sultanas (golden raisins)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/4 cup sweet Marsala or Madeira (I was out of Marsala)
8 Wild Planet white anchovy fillets (from 4 whole anchovies)
zest of 1/2 orange
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt, and then pasta. Cool until al dente - about 10-12 minutes, depending on the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the slivered shallots and sultanas. Cook at medium heat until the shallots are soft and turning golden. Add the pine nuts and cool for another few minutes until they are lightly toasted.
Add the Marsala and let reduce by half. Add the anchovy fillets (I removed the bones), orange zest, and parsley. Mix gently and remove from the heat.
When pasta is ready, reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Return to medium-high heat. Toss gently and add reserved cooking water.
Divide between two pasta plates and serve immediately. And, as with all Italian seafood and fish dishes, just say "No!" to the cheese!
Serves 2. Recipe can easily be doubled. Labels: golden raisins, orange zest, pine nuts, shallot, spaghetti, sultanas, white anchovies, wild planet
