Salty, buttery, crunchy with a hint of spice, that’s the way I like a nibble before a meal. These Anchovy Sticks are the kind of light but satisfying snack to offer at dinner or in a picnic basket packed with cheese, salami and fruit. Made with purchased puff pastry and a jar of anchovies, these can be fresh for guests within an hour.
The recipe consists of rows of anchovies sandwiched between two layers of puff pastry. The pastry is cut into narrow strips before baking. While I’ve been making them with store-bought puff pastry, quick or rough puff pastry is easy to make. And it really elevates them into something I’m proud to serve.
(Dorie Greenspan and I spent a few hours making quick puff pastry in my kitchen not too long ago. PLEASE visit her post with photos to get a great primer on how I make quick or rough puff pastry.)
Before you get started, it helps to visualize how to roll out the dough for the anchovy sticks.
I use a single piece of puff pastry to make this batch of anchovy sticks. Rolling it out to an even square helps you obtain evenly sized sticks. Rolling also thins the dough to the desirable thickness.
A layer of egg wash helps the two layers of dough stick together during baking.
You will be placing anchovy fillets on the egg-washed dough.
Position the anchovy fillets in three parallel rows on one half of the dough. Then pick up the edge of the dough parallel to the rows of anchovies and fold it over.
Use the side of your palm and your fingertips to seal the two layers of dough between and around the anchovies.
Coat the dough with more egg wash. Sprinkle it with Aleppo pepper flakes or sesame seeds.
The finished sticks are crisp and golden with three dabs of anchovy, which look like fish eyes, visible between the layers of pastry.
Kitchen Notebook
A few years back, I watched Rory O’Connell’s How to Cook on PBS. He is co-founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork, Ireland with his sister, Darina Allen. (I’ve wanted to go there for more than 30 years.)
He prepared these anchovy sticks on the program, coating them with sesame seeds. In the Ballymaloe version, the sticks are very slender, something I must try.
Ingredients
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, approximately 10-inches square, thawed
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
12 -14 anchovies packed in the jar
Aleppo pepper, black or white sesame seeds
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface. (I like to work on a silicone baking mat.) Roll the puff pastry to thin it slightly. It should measure approximately 12 inches square.
- Brush the pastry with the egg wash.
- Starting about 1 inch from the edge, position the anchovy fillets end to end slightly overlapping in a straight row. Position another row of anchovies parallel to the first leaving a scant inch between the two rows. Position a third row of anchovies a scant inch from the center row.
- Pick up the dough by the edge parallel to the rows of anchovies. Bring it up and fold it over evenly covering the anchovies. Each corner of the puff pastry should align.
- Use the side of your palm and your fingertips to seal the two layers of dough between and around the anchovies.
- Brush the dough with egg wash and sprinkle with Aleppo pepper and sesame seeds.
- Chill the filled pastry for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Using a long sharp chefs knife, cut the dough horizontally across the three rows of anchovies into ½-inch wide strips. Place each strip, spaced 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 – 14 minutes until they are puffed and golden.
