How much anchovy paste?

[puffin3]

I have a tube of 'Gia' Italian AP in the fridge. It is pretty good and I use it in all savory dishes to add a very subtle back-note.
I used jarred Ortiz anchovies specifically when making a Caesar salad.
I also top up the jar with OO.
As with of lot of canned/jarred fish products there is a distinct range in quality.
I had the misfortune to taste direct from a tube some VN anchovy paste. If I had a cat I don't think it would eat the VN anchovy paste it was that rotten/vile tasting.

 

[Chef Kenny]

Note to self...taste the product before use! Very good advice.

I just tasted a freshly popped tube of the Amore' paste. It tastes pretty much like all anchovies I've had. I just put a little on my finger and tasted it. Pretty mild actually, I could spread this stuff on a cracker and eat it.

A sip of water and almost zero after taste.

It was a good price for a pack of 2 on Amazon.

 

[tenspeed]

I can’t speak about paste, but I’ve tried both the tinned anchovies ($1.25 at the supermarket) and the jarred anchovies from Italy ($4.50 at the little Italian specialty store). No comparison. The Italian anchovies are waaayyyy better. As previously mentioned, just cover them with OO and store in the refrigerator.

 

[Chef Kenny]

I can’t speak about paste, but I’ve tried both the tinned anchovies ($1.25 at the supermarket) and the jarred anchovies from Italy ($4.50 at the little Italian specialty store). No comparison. The Italian anchovies are waaayyyy better. As previously mentioned, just cover them with OO and store in the refrigerator.

I have no doubt they are better. I plan to check it out for sure.

 

[puffin3]

As in pretty much everything "you get what you pay for". Anchovies are no exception.
Using jarred anchovies in a Caesar salad is like using unsalted clarified butter in a Beurre Blanc. Using cheap anchovy paste in a Caesar salad is like using margarine in a Beurre Blanc.

 

[Chef Kenny]

So...I want to eat at YOUR restaurant so I can taste what food is supposed to taste like.

I would also like to borrow your bank account please...so I can buy only the best...of everything...

 

[puffin3]

So...I want to eat at YOUR restaurant so I can taste what food is supposed to taste like.

I would also like to borrow your bank account please...so I can buy only the best...of everything...

Take it easy pal. Five posts and you're putting up snarky posts. Pro Tip: That's doesn't fly on this forum.
The thread starter was simply asking how much anchovy paste to use on a CS.
The thread drifted a little.
I'm no foodie elitist. 95% of the meals I cook are simple cheap and basic using fresh in-season local ingredients.
But some dishes are greatly enhanced by using best quality ingredients.
The classic CS didn't get the reputation it has, when served in high-end restaurants, by using cheap ingredients.
A jar of best quality anchovies is less expensive than some coffees sold at Starbucks.
It's a matter of priorities.

 

[Chef Kenny]

The written word is often inflected by the reader and the reader's perception and mood.

Firstly, I would like to taste really good food made by someone. I always do. I wasn't joking or "snarking". Sounds like you know what you are doing and do it well.

As far as the bank account...that was a joke. Tongue in cheek. I plan to try upper scale anchovies as a result of your comments.

Didn't mean to hijack the thread. I was on this subject myself looking at a recipe and thought my findings may be helpful.

I'll try to be more thoughtful of how my words may come across. I have no idea what I'm getting in to with the personalities on this site. A solid back and forth is good, but unintentionally insulting someone will not get me where I want to be.

Thank you

 

[GotGarlic]

Kenny, a winkie can be helpful in adding inflection to your words And the thread is seven years old, so no worries about hijacking it

 

[Chef Kenny]

Kenny, a winkie can be helpful in adding inflection to your words And the thread is seven years old, so no worries about hijacking it

Thanks GG,

I never thought of that at the moment. That's why emoticons were invented, so people didn't take things wrong. I was using the quick reply which doesn't have them. If I was trying to be snarky you would have had to wipe the "snark" off of your monitor. I have the ability to rip in to it pretty well if I want. Last thing I want to do is tick people off on a site I joined to learn and share.

I should not have engaged Puffin in the first place. It was clear his/or her POV from the get-go

And on the subject of using anchovy paste, I will continue to use it regardless. My dressings and recipes taste just fine. I have never "turned anyone off from the classic Caesar salad"...I see clean plates every time I make it.

With that said, my local World Market had only this jarred anchovies. They look delicious. I will taste them later. They seem more worthy of straight up eating rather than using for umami in recipes, but clearly my taste and culinary knowledge is not highly refined. Knowing me I will eat them right out of the jar. Puffin did pique my interest in checking up the quality scale on this, so I will be on this adventure for a bit.

 

[puffin3]

Just curious.
You quoted someone on this forum as posting: "turned anyone off from the classic Caesar salad"..
Who put that up?

 

[Chef Kenny]

Hey Puffin, I'm not here to be in a urinating match with you; so I'd like to move on to learning and sharing. I'm sure you are very good at what you do and I can learn a lot from you.

Mine was a reference quote, referring to your first comment back on page 2 of this thread. You basically poo-pooed anyone using paste for Caesar Salad. I get that this is your POV, but I am apparently unrefined of palette enough to not know this, along with everyone I have fed my food to.

Your adamant comments have in fact gotten me to follow your input and as you can see I have already begun my research in to this as a result. So thank you for the inspiration

Being a reference quote and not a direct quote is why I used only quotation marks. But here is the part of your comment I was alluding to in full proper quote format:

There is no faster way to turn someone off a classic Caesar salad then to use anchovy paste. Just don't bother making the salad.

It's possible you may feel I haven't turned anyone off the the classic Caesar Salad because if I use paste, you would not consider it classic? At any rate, I have used both, and the dressings have all been very good albeit maybe not "technically correct" to the trained chef.

 

[puffin3]

Quotation vs Reference Citation? » Student Learning and Support
Last post on this thread.

 

[TeriBeck]

Green goddess dressing

I love green goddess dressing. I also recently made homemade Caesar dressing for the first time and was wondering about the equivalent. I use Amore paste as well. Maybe I will buy a jar of anchovies now that I see they will keep for a reasonable amount of time.

 

[RCJoe]

One of the best threads I've read here in awhile. Really in my interest.
My folks always kept a tube of AP on hand and used it often when I was growing up.

I've always seen it as an intuitive action where within a couple or three additions would yield the flavor desired.

And thumbs up to Green Goddess. A friend used to make an incredible party dip with it too.

 

[taxlady]

I love green goddess dressing. I also recently made homemade Caesar dressing for the first time and was wondering about the equivalent. I use Amore paste as well. Maybe I will buy a jar of anchovies now that I see they will keep for a reasonable amount of time.

We figure about the a squeeze of paste the length of an anchovy (2-3 inches) for each anchovy in the recipe. Yes, we have Amore anchovy paste, yes, we use it in green goddess dressing. I also have anchovies in a jar. Be sure to top up the oil so the anchovies are submerged. I don't know why they keep so much better in a jar than in an open tin covered in aluminium foil. More airtight, I guess. I always try to keep both forms on hand. Sometimes it's just easier to use the paste and the ingredients are simple: anchovy, salt, sunflower seed oil, olive oil.

 

[pepperhead212]

Welcome to the forum!

I much prefer the anchovies to the paste. The ones in the jars are preferable, but the large tins of them are also better than those little cans. I buy the larger tins, then transfer them to a wide mouthed mason jar, covering them with oil. They keep until I use them up.