The Delicious Secret Lurking in Every Can of Anchovies—and How to Use It

I’ve written about my love for anchovies before: I use the satisfyingly salty tinned fish to make salad dressings, dips, and pastas, and will happily eat them on their own as a snack. While many people discard the can and the remaining oil once they’re done with the fish, I like to save all the oil for another use: It’s wonderfully briny, and great for flavoring breadcrumbs, croutons, salad dressings, and more.

Below, you’ll find recipes for using up all that delicious anchovy oil—simply replace all or a portion of oil called for in the recipe with the same amount of anchovy oil to give your food a pleasant savory kick. While anchovy oil itself isn’t salty, it has a briny quality, so you may want to reduce the amount of salt called for in the recipes slightly or simply season your food to taste.