Anchovy (or Garlic) Breadcrumbs (or Croutons)

Anchovy Breadcrumbs

One of my favorite little staples. These highly flavored breadcrumbs are a great use for stale bread, and the crumbs are still light and fluffy. Such great texture, you’ll want these to top just about any vegetable, pasta (a nice substitute for cheese), baked gratin, stuffed veggies, etc. Make these vegetarian by substituting garlic for the anchovies, or use both, even better. Pretty remarkable and versatile! You can also add dried herbs of choice, perhaps some thyme, ground fennel, or even some sesame seeds, and vary these with the dish you are preparing. Additionally, you can add a quarter cup of grated Parmesan or vegan Parmesan at the end depending on the use. 

And no, they don’t taste like fish, in fact, people won’t really know there are anchovies here, they will just find them delicious.

A bonus, they will keep for several days in a canning jar on the counter, and you will definitely find another use for them.

  • 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs from stale bread
  • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 to 8 anchovies and a bit of their oil, chopped up a bit, OR, six cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • Salt and pepper
  • Herbs and Parmesan optional

First, make the breadcrumbs. Stale bread is best, even if you just leave it out for an hour or so. You can grate the bread on a box grater, or, much easier, whiz up in the food processor. I used two thick slices of my whole wheat boule for this, I can’t tell you how many slices you will need because all breads are different. You will need two cups when finished. 

The ingredients.

Heat a large skillet over medium high and add the oil and the anchovies (or the garlic, or both) with a teaspoon or so of their oil. They will soon melt away to very little. Add the breadcrumbs, season with black pepper, and mix well. Continue to sauté, until they are nice and brown. This doesn’t take long at all. 

If you want croutons, simply rip or cut the stale bread into your desired size and sauté them as above for the crumbs. You can also make these in the oven, but keep your eye on them as they burn easily.