Book Proposal for

100 Ways to Do Anchovies

(ghostwritten by Maureen Watts, Publishing Works, 01/02/12)

Overview

It’s been said that the world can be divided between two camps: those

who love anchovies and those who hate them. Cookbook author Lynn Nicholson

and Pacific Northwest top chef and restaurateur, John Nelson, are clearly from

the former camp, and are out to create many converts with their new cookbook,

100 Ways to Do Anchovies.

While Europeans have been enjoying anchovies for centuriesit’s

practically been a staple in some areas of Spain, Italy, and FranceAmericans

have taken their time to warm up to this “super fish”. They’ve pushed up their

noses at the mere mention of anchovies, proclaiming them: too salty, too fishy!

“However, most people would admit to never having really tried anchovies

outside of biting in to an overly salty, cheap anchovy fillet thrown on top of pizza,”

says chef Nelson.

The tides have been changing and Americans are beginning tooften

unknowinglyenjoy anchovies. While discerning diners are perusing menus,

fishing for savory bites or entrees that have that special something flavor they

can’t quite put their finger on, unbeknownst to them in many cases, the little

anchovy is often invisibly tucked in to even the simplest dishes to provide the

depth, richness, and otherworldliness that only alone the little anchovy can

provide.

If menus at top restaurants around the country are any indicator, the

anchovy has become hot. At Anchovies & Olives restaurant in Seattleone of

Bon Appetit’s “10 Best New Restaurants in America” they feature the Italian-

inspired Bagna Cauda, Fried Oysters with Anchovy Dressing, and a Beet Salad

with a White Anchovy Dressing, among other anchovy-inspired dishes. After

mostly making cameo appearances in Caesar salads and strewn atop pizzas,

today’s chefs have begun to drop their “don’t ask, don’t tell” policies regarding

their “secret ingredient” and are either slipping anchovies subtly in to their recipes

or boldly placing anchovies front and center on their menus. Suddenly, it seems,

people can’t get enough of the little fish with the big flavor.

Whether served with tomato and mint on top of bruschetta, whirled in to

salad dressings, blended in to mashed potatoes, or used to infuse main dishes of

pork or lamb to add rich depth, many chefs use the anchovy as their go-to

ingredient for adding a rich, round flavor, and a sharp scent to a large variety of

dishes.

“The anchovy is the culinary equivalent of the Wonderbra. It adds body to

flat food. But like the Wonderbra, nobody should suspect it is there,” wrote Julia

Watson, food columnist for ivillage.com.

The mystery behind anchovies is that they are loaded with “umami,” the

so-called fifth taste, an element in certain foods that lifts the flavors of everything

it’s blended with. This means you can blend a little anchovy with a grilling

rublike one with red wine, olive oil, garlic, and basiland it will help all the

flavors blossom while the anchovy will fade in to the background.

“The real reason most people are opposed to anchovies or think they

don’t like them is because they have never tasted a good-quality anchovy,

properly used,” says chef Nelson. The secret to learning to love the anchovy, he

explains, is knowing how to cook with them.

About the Book

The creative impetus behind 100 Ways to Do Anchovies stirred when

Nicholson and Nelson were working on their cookbook, 100 Ways to Do Caesar.

“I was doing research on anchovies for that cookbook, and realized there was no

definitive book on anchovies,” writes Nicholson. “I also discovered that anchovies

are a lot of chefs’ secret weapon.” The cookbook also spawned from John and

Lynn’s mutual love of anchovies. “It’s like we couldn’t stop talking about

anchovies, and coming up with new ideas for ways to use them in the kitchen,”

laughs Nicholson.

Nelson grew up in the Pacific Northwest where fish and seafood played a

big role in his childhood experiences. “When I was a kid running around the

docks, we used to jig for anchovies…which I thought was really fun. We ate a lot

of small fishes, and the natives all had smelt, herring, candlefish…they used

them for their oils and to burn. Anchovies and small fish felt like an essential part

of life.” Nelson’s Scandinavian roots are instilled with memories of his Swedish

aunt making herring casserole for breakfast. “Oh my God, was that good,”

exclaims Nelson. As a teenager, Nelson traveled through Europe and

remembers eating fresh anchovies, and wondering why people in the U.S. didn’t

eat these really healthy, little fish.

Beginning with his very first restaurant, Nelson started cooking with

anchovies. “From flat filets, to fresh or frozen, to paste. Because the flavor

imparts so much….the fat is your flavor distributor, plus you have that salt which

is also a flavor enhancer,” says Nelson. “Anchovies have been one of my ‘secret’

ingredients in my restaurant for years,” confides Nelson. “You know the saying:

what you don’t know, won’t hurt you?” Over time, however, nosey diners

demanded to know what was creating the depth, the divine ‘otherness’ of so

many of his dishes. “So I told them,” laughs Nelson. “I guess the fish is out of the

bag!”

Nicholson also grew up in the Pacific Northwest, in Seattle, and

remembers a restaurant at Pikes Place Market that served the classic Bagna

Cauda that she says “was to die for.” “That was my ‘ah-ha’ moment,” says

Nicholson. “That’s when I knew anchovies were a really top-secret ingredient that

I wanted to incorporate in to my cooking.” Of course, I first started using

anchovies in Caesar salads. In my late 20s, I started making my own

Worcestershire sauce and fish sauce. So cooking with anchovies has always

been a part of my cooking.”

Nicholson also has fond memories of eating fresh anchovies while

traveling through Spain and Portugal in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. “I remember

eating anchovies all the time there. Amazing tapas on the coast and in

Barcelona. Cheap and goodespecially deep fried anchoviesthey served

fresh, grilled anchovies as well. We ate fresh anchovies for breakfast and when I

bit in to a succulent anchovy stuffed olives and manchego cheese with

anchovies, I knew I would be in love with anchovies forever.”

For nearly two decades, Nicholson collected recipes that contain

anchovies. From there, she began experimenting, utilizing the anchovy’s

amazing versatility, veering from the recipes to instill her own favorite ingredients

and flavors.

When Nicholson and chef Nelson met and began working on their

cookbook, 100 Ways to Do Caesar, the two were like a match made in the sea.

Chef Nelson’s affinity for “anything fish or seafood” was equaled scale by scale

by Nicholson’s love for “all things anchovy.” It wasn’t long before the idea for 100

Ways to Do Anchovies was born.

“We wanted to show the versatility of the anchovy, that they aren’t just for

Caesar salads or as a topping for pizza,” explains Nicholson. In 100 Ways to Do

Anchovies, the two chefs reveal how anchovies are sensational additions to

everything from starters to salads, to main dishes and vegetables, as well as

sauces and seasonings. Home gourmands will become properly acquainted with

how to prepare the “king of fishes” in ways sure to spice up their culinary

repertoire.

100 Ways to Do Anchovies has recipes for sensational starters like

Creamy Bagna Cauda, Black Olive Tapenade, and Anchovy Fries with Smoky

Caesar Aioli to crisp Caesar Salad, to main dishes like Leg of Lamb with

Anchovy Sauce, Zarzuela Seafood Stew, and Skate with Anchovy, Basil and

Roasted Tomatoes, to classic Pasta Puttanesca, to exotic-tasting vegetables like

Asparagus with Anchovies and Capers or Onion Tart with Anchovy, to meaty and

rich sauces like Spicy Tomato Ragu or Arugula and Basil Olive Oil with Anchovy

Onion.

100 Ways to Do Anchovies will give home epicures that inside edge with

exciting new recipes harboring a “secret ingredient” while presenting bold new

flavors usually only found at the finest restaurants, master-minded by trend-

setting chefs. Best of all, all the recipes in 100 Ways to Do Anchovies are fun

and easy to make. Anchovies can be bought in advance as part of a well-stocked

pantry, and can also keep up to a year in the refrigerator, making them both

convenient and economical. Home cooks will delight in just how easy it is to turn

a seemingly ordinary meal in to something extra-flavorful and bold that will bring

their cooking quite easily to a whole new level.

“Anchovies are a powerful and indispensible ingredient any cook would be

hard pressed to replace. There are nearly endless ways to use them, and we

wanted this cookbook to showcase the anchovy and to inspire home cooks to

use them, experiment, surprise their dinner guests, and have fun,” says chef

Nelson.

100 Ways to Do Anchovies, authored by Nicholson with recipes from

both Nicholson and chef Nelson, will appeal to both novice and experienced

cooks. Here is the premier guide to learning how to cook and enjoy the amazing

little fish with the big flavor. The innovative and delicious recipes will provide a

whole new range of tastes and flavors for the home gourmet, and will be an

exciting and provocative addition to any home cooks’ kitchen bookshelf

collection.