Love and Olive Oil

Turkey Cutlets in Anchovy Butter Sauce

No! Wait! Don’t close it! Just because I said Anchovy doesn’t mean you have to duck and run for cover.

Seriously.

Not joking here.

No, really.

Believe me, I am NOT the type to go for the anchovy pizza. EVER. I grimace when Taylor adds the fish sauce to anything – let alone anchovies. But there is nothing anchovy-tasting about this dish. Why use it then? One word: depth. Otherwise this sauce would just be, well, melted butter. With the anchovy paste, it has a depth of flavor only something as repulsive as fish paste could add. Served with some lightly steamed green beans, it’s a delicious and surprisingly quick meal. One that I will try again. Anchovy is not, after all, a 4-letter word.

Turkey Cutlets in Anchovy Butter Sauce

Makes 4 servings.
Recipe from Epicurious.

Ingredients
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds turkey cutlets
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Directions
Stir together flour and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper on a plate. Pat cutlets dry, then dredge in flour, shaking off excess.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté turkey in 2 batches, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.

Brown shallot in fat remaining in skillet, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Add wine and boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in anchovy paste, butter, and chives until incorporated. Return cutlets to skillet with any juices from plate and turn to coat.

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3 Comments

  1. I sure didn’t duck for cover. I clicked through BECAUSE I wanted to see if you had a recipe for turkey with anchovy paste. I’ve been convert for several years, following an episode of The Naked Chef with Jamie Oliver when he used anchovy filets over green beans, and they melted and gave depth to the beans. I tried it and never looked back. I don’t order it on pizza, either, but I do like it in ceasar salad and as a paste to give depth. Like the others said, you just can’t tell anyone that “anchovy” is an ingredient. It has an undeserved bad reputation. I’ll try this for sure. Thanks!

  2. You know, I’ve never thought much at all about turkey cutlets, but this is the second recipe I’ve seen in the last few weeks that have made me think they could be really good. And I am soooo not afraid of anchovies. Used in the right way they add the nicest, rounded saltiness. You just can’t tell anyone or they will freak! :)

  3. Hi Lindsay, I just found your blog and I love the name of it. To me, olive oil IS love! haha…

    This post caught my eye BECAUSE of the anchovies. I LOVE them. I’ll eat them right out of the tin (usually i’ll grab one and eat it while I’m using the rest in what I’m cooking). I love their saltiness and nutiness. They are AWESOME when melted into oil and used in sauces, as you now know. I’ll have to give your sauce a try – it sounds really good.

    Check out my post on Pasta Puttanesca, which uses anchovies in the sauce – it’s to DIE for: http://tarathefoodie.blogspot.com/2007/12/pasta-puttanesca.html

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