Crostini with anchovies and butter
There is a small restaurant near where I used to live in Florence that serves this dish – the simplest but most delicious combination of perfect ingredients. It reminds me of the importance of ‘less is more’ in summer cooking
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Ingredients
6–12 slices of best-quality white sourdough bread
6–12 anchovy fillets (preserved in salt or oil)
30g cold, unsalted butter (Italian if possible, which is lighter and creamier)
1 unwaxed lemon
Method
Step 1
Grill or toast the bread so it is coloured on both sides. Allow to cool (you want the butter to remain firm).
Step 2
If you are using salted anchovies, run them under cold water and gently open the two fillets to expose the backbone. Remove this and discard so you are left with two clean fillets. Pat dry on a piece of kitchen towel and repeat with the others. For anchovy fillets in oil, just remove from the oil and dab off excess with kitchen towel.
Step 3
Cut the butter into enough slices for each piece of bread and lay it on top. Lay one or two anchovy fillets on top of each slice and grate over a few strands of lemon zest before serving.
