Anchovy-Garlic Dressing
3 cups, 10 min
Tasting this bold dressing on its own, straight out of the jar, might make your eyes widen. It is very assertive. But don’t tone it down thinking there must be an error. The high ratio of potent raw garlic to bright lemon juice to salty anchovy is very much on purpose — once you spoon the dressing over cold braised celery hearts or fennel heads or steamed cauliflower or leafy mustard greens, the ferocity is tamed. If it didn’t start so high and assertive, it would become docile rather than perfectly obedient.
Ingredients
- 4 lemons, juiced and strained (about ¾ cup)
- 20 oil-packed anchovy fillets (from one 3.5-ounce jar), drained and minced
- 9 fresh, sticky, assertive garlic cloves, finely grated using a Microplane
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more if desired
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Place lemon juice, anchovies, garlic, kosher salt, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl.
- Stir (don’t whisk) in the olive oil.
- Season to taste with salt and several good grinds on the pepper mill for a bright, bracing dressing. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.