A salty, savoury and filling supper dish – cauliflower with anchovy and garlic is delicious as a side dish or served warm with pasta. Easy and quick to make!
There are certain classic flavour pairings that crop up again and again, and cauliflower with anchovy is one of them. It may sound a bit odd, but the deep salty savoury flavour of the anchovies compliments the bold, nutty and slightly sweet flavour of cauliflower.
Cauliflower with anchovy and garlic
This tasty dish is a family favourite for lots of reasons.
- It’s super-quick, and can be ready in just 15 minutes
- It’s packed with flavour from the anchovies, garlic and lemon
- It has protein, fibre and vitamins in every bite – cauliflower is considered high in vitamin C, and has moderate levels of some B vitamins and vitamin K
- It makes a terrific side dish
- You can also serve it as a main with pasta, rice or couscous
- Leftovers are great eaten cold as a salad
Ingredients for cauliflower with anchovy and garlic
Another reason I love it is that this tasty dish is made with only a handful of simple ingredients. If I get a cauliflower in our organic box, or just pick one up at the shops, I’m likely to have the rest of the ingredients already at home. To make this dish you will need:
- cauliflower
- anchovies
- garlic
- olive oil
- black pepper
- lemon
- parsley
It’s incredible how so much deliciousness exists in such simple, store cupboard and fridge basics!
Yummy anchovies
My daughter Kipper is a keen anchovy enthusiast. As I was making this yummy cauliflower dish, she was dancing round the kitchen, singing, “ANCHOVIES! YUMMY ANCHOVIES!”
This is totally normal behaviour for a pre-schooler, right?
She was certainly very enthusiastic about this dish of cauliflower with anchovy, garlic and lemon. Although she did say that there weren’t enough “yummy anchovies” in it. DH and I had already had to intervene to stop her eating them whole, out of the jar. But all 3-year-olds love anchovies, don’t they?
Don’t they?!
Salty, fishy, delicious
Personally, I thought it had just the right amount of anchovies. A subtle hint of salty fishiness which set off the cauliflower perfectly. We ate it with pasta and called it dinner. Lovely.
Some things are classics for a reason, you know!
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📖 Recipe
Cauliflower with anchovy and garlic
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower (approx. 550g/19½ oz of florets)
- 10 anchovies in oil, drained
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 1-2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into smallish florets and wash thoroughly. Cook in boiling water for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoon of the olive oil over a low heat. Crush the garlic into the pan and add the anchovies. Mash everything together with a fork to give an oily garlicky anchovy goo and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Drain the cauliflower well, and add to the pan with the anchovies. Mix well and crush slightly with a fork to combine.
- Stir in another tablespoon olive oil. Season the cauliflower mixture with black pepper and the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning – you should not need any salt as the anchovies are quite salty already.
- Sprinkle over the freshly chopped parsley and serve. Delicious with pasta!
Nutrition
More delicious cauliflower recipes
If you love cauliflower then take a look at these recipes for easy child-approved cauliflower and chickpea curry, naturally gluten-free roasted cauliflower and vegetable chowder, and lightly spiced cauliflower and carrot fritters.
I’m entering this delicious cauliflower dish into the In My Veg Box – cauliflower challenge, hosted by Sliceoffme and Citrus Spice UK.
Sisley White
cauliflower used to be avoided at all cost but now I’m hooked. This is such a delicious way to eat them and I can’t wait to make it again.
Helen
Thanks Sisley – that’s great to hear! It IS delicious and so good for you too.
Dannii
I never would have thought to have anchovy with cauliflower. What a delicious and flavour packed side dish.
Helen
Thanks Dannii! I does sound a bit odd, but it works fantastically well. Glad you enjoyed it!
Emily Flint
This is the perfect recipe to get my house to eat more veggies!! Thanks!
Helen
That’s great to hear Emily! I think any recipe that really packs the flavour in is bound to be a hit!
megan
Very flavorful! I would have never thought of this- yummy!
Helen
Thanks Megan. So glad you enjoyed it.
Priya Lakshminarayan
Loving all the flavors in here! Looks so good
Helen
Thanks Priya. We really enjoyed eating it.