Provençal French · Marseille and coastal Provence · mezze
Anchoïade (Anchovy Dip with Crudités)
anchoïade
Anchoïade is the quintessential apéritif spread of Marseille and coastal Provence — a punchy, deeply savory paste of anchovies pounded with garlic and loosened with olive oil and vinegar. It's not subtle, and it's not meant to be. Set it out with a platter of raw vegetables before dinner and watch a glass of rosé disappear.
Scan to log · 130 kcal · 10g protein
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20 min
Cook
0 min
Total
20 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
What you need
Ingredients
oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained
3 oz
85g
Substitution · quality matters here
Original: salted whole anchovies (rinsed and filleted). Salted whole anchovies from a tin or jar give a deeper, cleaner flavor — rinse well and pull the fillets off the bone. Oil-packed fillets (Ortiz or Roland brand) work beautifully and are easy to find at most US grocery stores.
garlic cloves, peeled
3 cloves
12g
extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup
80ml
red wine vinegar
1 tsp
5ml
Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp
3g
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp
0.5g
fennel bulb, cut into sticks
1 medium (about 1 cup sticks)
120g
radishes, trimmed and halved
1 bunch (about 8 radishes)
120g
celery stalks, cut into sticks
3 stalks
120g
small bell peppers (red or yellow), cut into strips
2 peppers
200g
small cucumber, cut into spears
1 cucumber
180g
hard-boiled eggs, halved (optional but traditional)
2 eggs
100g
How to cook it
Steps
- 01
10 min
Prepare your crudités first so they can chill while you make the dip. Cut the fennel, celery, bell peppers, and cucumber into dippable sticks or spears. Halve the radishes. Arrange everything on a platter, cover with a damp paper towel, and refrigerate. Cold, crisp vegetables are the whole point here.
- 02
3 min
In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic cloves with a pinch of salt until you have a smooth paste — this takes about 2 minutes of real effort. If you don't have a mortar, mince the garlic as finely as you can and use the flat of your knife to smear it into a paste on the cutting board.
- 03
3 min
Add the anchovy fillets to the mortar and pound them into the garlic paste until the mixture is relatively smooth and cohesive. A few small bits of texture are fine — this isn't meant to be perfectly silky. If using a food processor, pulse the garlic and anchovies together until finely chopped.
- 04
4 min
Work in the Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar, stirring to combine. Then drizzle in the olive oil very slowly — a thin stream — while stirring or pounding constantly, as if you're making a loose mayonnaise. The mixture will come together into a thick, glossy, deeply fragrant paste. Season with black pepper. Taste: it will be intensely salty from the anchovies, which is correct. Do not add more salt.
- 05
2 min
Transfer the anchoïade to a small bowl. It can be served immediately or left at room temperature for up to an hour — the flavor actually improves as it sits. Bring the crudités platter out of the fridge, add the halved hard-boiled eggs if using, and set the bowl of anchoïade alongside for dipping. Serve with a cold glass of Provençal rosé or pastis over ice.
Chef notes
Notes & variations
Anchoïade is meant to be served at room temperature, not cold — the olive oil will thicken and the flavor will dull if it's chilled.
The mortar and pestle is worth using here if you have one. The texture is slightly rougher and more rustic than a food processor version, which is how it's made in Marseille. Either way works.
Some cooks add a few drops of lemon juice in place of or alongside the vinegar — both are traditional. Vinegar gives a sharper edge; lemon is a little brighter.
Leftover anchoïade keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days. Bring it fully to room temperature before serving again and give it a stir — the oil may separate slightly in the fridge.
This is also excellent spread on thick slices of toasted pain de campagne (country bread) as a bruschetta-style snack.
Pastis substitute for the table: Pernod is widely available at US liquor stores. Mix 1 part Pernod with 4–5 parts cold water — it will turn cloudy and beautiful.
Per serving
Nutrition
Calories
130
Protein
10.4 g
Carbs
10.2 g
Fat
5 g
Fiber
1.7 g
Sugars
0.3 g
Sat fat
3.9 g
Sodium
1257 mg
Minerals & vitamins
Potassium
518 mg
Calcium
107 mg
Iron
1.1 mg
Magnesium
72 mg
Vit D
22 IU
Vit B12
3 mcg
Cholesterol
93 mg
Glycemic profile
GI
14.2
GL
1.5
Storage
How long it keeps
Fridge
3 days
Freezer
3 months
Room temp
2 hours
Reheating · Fish dries quickly when reheated. Use low heat with moisture, or serve cold over salad.
Source: foodkeeper
Real products
Where to buy
Real grocery products surfaced via Open Food Facts. Click a product to see its OFF page (ingredients, allergens, Nutri-Score breakdown).
garlic cloves, peeled
- Whole garlic cloves in brine
Nutri-Score C
extra-virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
radishes, trimmed and halved
celery stalks, cut into sticks
- Trimmed celery stalks
Nutri-Score B
small bell peppers (red or yellow), cut into strips
- BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, Green Bell Peppers, For 1 Topping Build Your Own Deep Dish Pizza, Small
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse · 1 serving(s)
Nutri-Score A
hard-boiled eggs, halved (optional but traditional)
On the same table
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