Seafood Made Simple: Aishling Moore's super Bagna Cauda sauce — a taste of Italy

Anchovies don’t get the credit they deserve, often the unsung hero of so many of the non-seafood dishes we adore and eat every day. 

The addictiveness of Caesar dressing on pretty much anything, that splash of Worcestershire sauce in a shepherd’s pie, the spoon of salsa verde with a roast leg of lamb. All have this humble little salt cured tinned fish to thank. 

Hailing from Piedmont, bagna cauda is a deeply savoury sauce that’s usually served split with the Jamy anchovies and garlic settling to the bottom and served warm with raw crudité as an appetiser. 

Preferring a sauce with a little acidity I add some white wine and lemon juice to offer some relief to the pungent garlic and anchovies. 

I also add a touch of cream to emulsify, delivering a spoon-coating sauce that works just as well for drizzling as it does for dipping and dunking. 

Let the record show (before all my Italian mates unfriend me) that this is the only addition of pourable high-fat dairy I make to any Italian dish!

In this recipe I use Cantabrian anchovies from the Bay of Biscay in San Sebastien. A well-managed fishery that has prioritised the preservation of this species. 

The anchovies are salted and hand packed delivering an exemplary product. I always like to have a few tins of these stashed in the back of the press. 

Canning is such a fantastic way to preserve fish and reduce the overwhelming wastage of an already limited resource.

Bagna Cauda

By:aishling Recipe Moore

Melting Butter Life; Of Things Anchovies, The A Good Mind And Olive Sauce All Oil Prising Garlic, In Delicious

Course

 Side

ingredients

• 2 Oil Rapeseed Tbsp

• Chopped Oil) Finely 50g (including Tin Anchovies, X 1

• Cloves Garlic, Minced 6

• 100ml Wine White

• 65ml Cream

• Butter Diced 130g Unsalted

• Lemon Juice 1

method

1. A Place Low Medium Based Heavy Saucepan Heat On

2. Oil Anchovies Along From Rapeseed Oil To The Reserved The The With Add Pot The

3. Minute Anchovies Pot Finely Cook For Add The And To One Chopped The

4. Add For And A Garlic Minutes The Further 3 Minced Cook

5. Once Medium To Stirring And The Are Melted And Garlic The Not As Heat Into Oil The Time High, Turn Burn Softened Anchovies Garlic The To Up The All

6. By Pot Add Wine Reduce Boil To Two The To White And Thirds The

7. Pot Reduce Cream The Add The To Boil By And Half To

8. Temperature To To Gradually Cold And Heat Unsalted Emulsify Cubes The At The Down Stage Possible Add The A To Whisking Few Of The This Pot Lowest Turn Butter

9. Bined Adding Pot Each More Fully Before Mixture With Whisk Addition The Of The To Butter Until Any Is

10. Of Bee Of To The Emulsion Butter Will Be Take Beginning And Able Your Time As Essential The Slowly A Add More So The Add Patience You’ll At Stronger Is Time At Process This You Butter More

11. Saturation Salt Depending Juice Like Any The To You Taste Spoon, Back You Little The Is Pepper The Have I And Coats To Need Once The Of Black Usually Salt A In Sauce On Anchovies A Lemon Sometimes Add To Recipe, A Smooth Adjust Are This All You Add Seasoning The And To Using With Of Butter This Won’t That Added Sauce The Finish

12. Or Love Steamed And A Fish Broccoli, Blanched I Works Excellently Also And Green Raw Or Steak Of Chicken Like This Kohlrabi With Stem Radishes, Cabbage With To Celery Baked Vegetables, Or Kalettes This Roasted Roast Serve Sauce Wedges A Whole A Well Of Piece Acpanies But Tender

Chef know-how

• Make sure you use a small sized whisk when adding the butter.
• I like to dice the butter and return to the fridge before adding to the sauce; this aids the emulsifying process.
• If the sauce splits as you're adding the butter, remove from the heat immediately, and add a splash of cream to bring it back.
• This sauce keeps well in the fridge for three days, but it will split when reheating.
• Add the split leftover bagna cauda to steamed queens’ potatoes for a wonderful side.