Elevate Your Steak With A Bold Ingredient You're Probably Passing Up In The Grocery Store

Steak is a dish with a thousand variations in preparation, each more delicious than the last. There are time-honored techniques to maximize juicy texture, perfect exterior sears, or cut the perfect slice. And while many steak aficionados have their favorite flavor profile when cooking, there are many ingredients out there that can add an extra bit of pop to steak night. One of those might come from an unexpected source, but trust us when we say a little bit of anchovy paste can yield major results.

Anchovies tend to be more popular in places like Italy than in America, but they're a beautiful source of umami flavor. A simple marinade from anchovy paste and olive oil can be supplemented with a combination of rosemary, lemon (which also makes steak scientifically more delicious), and garlic. Blend the ingredients together or use a mortar and pestle to grind them into a uniform paste, then rub the marinade into the steak and let it sit for at least an hour. 

The paste will seep into the porous flesh of the meat, allowing it to provide depth of flavor without creating a bitter, fishy crust. Anchovies are a natural source of monosodium glutamate, aka the falsely-maligned MSG, which is why the paste serves perfectly as a flavor enhancer. This is why anchovy paste is also a secret ingredient for the best spaghetti sauce – just a teaspoon for 48 ounces of canned tomatoes is enough to add a delicious complexity. 

While a simple marinade is the easiest way to incorporate anchovies into your steak, once you're comfortable with this particular combination, it's time to open the doors to further experimentation. Anchovies are a common Italian ingredient, whether in puttanesca or Sicilian pasta with anchovies and toasted breadcrumbs — so if you're looking for inspiration, Italy is a good place to start.

For a taste of Tuscany, try a pour-over sauce that combines anchovy paste, olive oil, parsley, and rosemary. Cook the steak as usual, then cover with the whisked-together sauce. Taking a page from the puttanesca playbook, try an anchovy and caper sauce. This sauce, with herbs, lemon juice, garlic, shallot, and red wine vinegar, offers a beautifully balanced complement to steak, with brightness from the citrus and tarragon as well as deep savory notes. When in doubt, come back to your home base of anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil, as these flavors work harmoniously in any number of settings.

When it comes to which brand of anchovy paste to use, it's best to do as the professionals do. Amore is the anchovy paste Giada De Laurentiis can't do without, boasting high-quality ingredients and a relatively mild flavor. And if you come across a recipe you want to try that uses anchovy fillets instead of paste, don't worry. A simple conversion of ½ a teaspoon of anchovy paste per anchovy fillet should make for an acceptable substitution.