Anchovy Toast

Two of the bread services that I’ve had in restaurants and liked the most over the years involved really good anchovies. At Manfreds in Copenhagen, their excellent house-baked bread was served with cultured butter and a tin of anchovies, which effortlessly complemented every other dish on the menu. Mission Chinese (the original, in San Francisco) served hot, naturally leavened flatbreads from a wood-burning oven with fresh kefir butter and its whey, a tin of best-quality anchovies, fermented chiles, and, if it was a special night, a glass ramekin of caviar. I’ve also always been partial to the classic French-afternoon wine pairing of radishes and butter. The idea for this recipe was a simple merging of all three. I like to make the butter very green with lots of spicy watercress. Smashing the radishes and quickly fermenting them in the classic Chinese style with a touch of ginger–chile oil links the flavors well without overpowering any of them.

Uh-oh! We're unable to calculate nutrition for this recipe because some ingredients aren't recognized.

Step 1

To make the radishes: Rinse, dry, and cut the radishes in half lengthwise.

Step 2

Using the side of the knife blade, carefully smash the radishes into small chunks. Place the radishes in strainer set over a bowl. Distribute the 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar over the radishes and gently massage. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes or up to 5 hours in refrigerator.

Step 3

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, 1 pinch of salt, and 1 pinch sugar. To make a dressing, shake the strainer to remove any remaining liquid from the radishes and transfer them to a serving bowl. Add the olive oil and toss to combine, then add the dressing and garlic and continue tossing. In a separate small bowl, stir the ginger into the chile oil. Spoon the ginger–chile oil over the radishes.

Step 4

To make the butter: In the bowl of a food processor, puree the watercress and spinach. Add the shallot and butter and process until well blended. Squeeze in the lemon juice and pulse to incorporate. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the salt.

Step 5

Toast the bread slices. Spread generously with the watercress butter. Top each slice with two anchovy fillets. Enjoy with the radishes spooned over.