Butter-Basted Steak with L’Anchoiade
Alberta Beef with a French kiss
Anchovies get a bad rap in Alberta. Maybe it’s the loyal to our incredible beef, but boy, if I had a nickel for every time a friend has turn their nose away from anything that smelled “fishy”…but fishy is great! Fishy smells of the sea, tastes like the sea – this anchovy sauce is salty and intense, the perfect sauce to pair with a rich buttery strip steak. Trust me, this sauce rivals any herb butter or chimichurri I’ve made, just give anchovies a try.
When cooking a dish so simple and pure, treat yourself to a good cut of meat. These steaks were sourced from a local butcher here in Calgary, Sickel’s Meats who can be found at Crossroads Market (as of May 2021). To complete our 2021 Monaco Grand Prix meal, we started with a platter of freshly shucked oysters, and served this butter-basted steak with gratin de pomme de terre.
This recipe was adapted from the cookbook Provence to Pondicherry.
Butter-Basted Steak with L’Anchoiade
French-perfection. The l'anchoiade is salty and intense, the perfect sauce to pair with a rich buttery strip steak.
Equipment
- Cast iron pan
Ingredients
L'Anchoiade
- 1 tbsp butter
- 12 fillets anchovies in oil, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 3-4 springs thyme, leaves removed
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Steak
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 strip steaks
- 2 tbsp cognac
- finishing salt
Instructions
L'Anchoiade
- In a cast iron skillet, saute the anchovies in butter until soft and pulpy.
- Once the anchovies are soft, add the grated garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the thyme & parsley to the pan and heat through. Add the vinegar and cook for 1 more minute until all ingredients are combined and the liquid has evaporated. Remove the anchovy mix into a side dish and allow to cool.
- Once the anchovy mix has cooled, add the olive oil to the dish and stir together to make a thick sauce. Serve on top of the seared steak.
Steak
- Wipe the cast iron skillet clean from the anchoiade and reset on the stove to medium-high heat.
- Lightly season the steak, keeping in mind that the anchoiade is quite salty.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the skillet, add the steaks to the pan. Sear on high-heat until one side has a nice golden crust (about 3 minutes). Flip the steak and sear on the other side.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons to the pan and melt the butter. Tip the pan upward to gather the butter at the bottom, then using a serving spoon, scoop the butter and baste the steaks. Do this until most of the butter has been absorbed into the steaks.
- Cook the steak to almost your desired doneness. Then, remove the steak from the pan, cover, and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Once rested, serve the steak with the l'anchoiade sauce.
- TIP: If you have extra sauce, refrigerate to latter serve with other dishes like grilled bread or veggies, or blend smooth for an excellent dip for fries.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Provence to Pondicherry by Tessa Kiros.
