Recipe: The Anchovy Toast That’s Never Left Carlton Wine Room’s Menu

Everyone deserves a day off. But since it hit Carlton Wine Room ’s menu in 2018, this anchovy toast has barely had one. According to head chef Conor Pomroy, there’s a reason for its staying power. “This dish appeals to such a wide audience, from anchovy lovers to first-timers breaking the barrier of bad experiences,” he writes in Broadsheet cookbook The New Classics.

The magic lies in the balance of textures and flavours: crisp, golden-fried ficelle, silky whipped ricotta, briny anchovies and lightly pickled cucumbers, finished with the aromatic lift of fennel pollen. It’s small in size but generous in taste, and perfect for sharing with a glass of something crisp.

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Anchovy toast from Carlton Wine Room

Makes 10–12

Ingredients

Canola oil, for deep-frying
1-day-old refrigerated ficelle (we use Baker Bleu), cut thinly on a 45-degree angle (no thicker than 3–4mm)
1 tin (48g) Conservas Emilia anchovies
Fennel pollen, to serve
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pickled cucumbers
150ml rice wine vinegar
100g caster sugar
20g fine salt
10 baby cucumbers, sliced thinly on a mandoline (every 10 slices, check the thickness hasn’t changed)

Whipped ricotta
250g ricotta
4g salt flakes

Method

This recipe must be started 1 day ahead of serving.

For the pickled cucumbers, place the vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan with 225ml water. Place over medium heat and stir until the liquid is warm and the salt and sugar have dissolved. Allow to cool. Place the cucumber slices in a container or jar and cover with the pickling liquid. Make sure the cucumbers are submerged, and place a piece of plastic wrap on top to keep them there. Refrigerate overnight to pickle.

For the whipped ricotta, drain any surplus liquid from the ricotta, then place it into a food processor. Blend with the salt, scraping the side down occasionally, until the mixture is smooth with no lumps. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate until needed.

To fry the ficelle, heat 5cm oil in a large saucepan to medium–high heat. Add the bread, in batches if necessary, and cook for 30–40 seconds a side until golden. Drain on paper towel.

The bread should be an even golden-brown colour; if there are any white spots, continue cooking for a further 15 seconds. Note that it will keep cooking after it comes out of the oil.

To assemble, place your fried bread on a flat tray. Look at how wide your fried bread is and cut the end of your piping bag to two-thirds of the width of the bread. Drain off an anchovy on paper towel to remove excess oil (otherwise the anchovy will slide off the ricotta and the cucumbers will slide off the anchovy), then pipe a long line of ricotta along the fried bread and lay an anchovy on top. Drain off your pickled cucumbers, find 8–10 pieces that are the same size, and lay them over the top of the anchovy.

Each time you put a new slice down you want to start it in the middle of the previous one.

Finish with a generous sprinkle of fennel pollen and a little freshly ground pepper.

This is an edited extract from the Broadsheet cookbook The New Classics , which features 80 all-new recipes by Melbourne’s best restaurants. Published by Plum, the book is available for $54.99 at shop.broadsheet.com.au.