Alison describes this dish as something so good, it made her cry. I agree, it’s really good. (It didn’t make me cry.) It was also effortless, pretty to look at, and totally consumed in about 30 minutes.
The recipe calls for 2-3 lbs of small-ish ripe tomatoes. I used the kind that grow on a vine, are larger than a cherry tomato, but smaller than a beefsteak tomato. You know what I’m talking about, right? Of course you do.
Several hours before dinner time, I assembled the anchovy oil. This consisted of melting about 8 anchovies in some olive oil and Aleppo pepper over medium heat. I tried not to let the oil get too hot so that it bubbled, but hot enough to let the anchovies melt. This took some vigilance and heat adjustment as the fish began to break down. I assume it would have gone much quicker if I had a more predictable gas stove, but it’s hard to nail an exact heat range with my electric stove. I waited to prepare the tomatoes until right before our guests arrived so they were as fresh and cold as possible. I chose to quarter the tomatoes instead of slice them, which made them easier to eat.
The combination of flaky salt, anchovy and aleppo oil, and toasted fennel seed was far more subtle, in a good way, than I anticipated. I could only partially taste the anchovy, which allowed the fresh tomato to still shine in its own juicy glory. I could have easily eaten half the plate by myself, but instead, I had several others help me with it. If you love tomatoes, then this is a fabulous, and quick to assemble, side dish for any summer meal.
88 recipes cooked, 137 to go.
part of this All-Out-Alison meal — served with the Scallops with Corn, Anchovies with Potato Chips, Baked Summer Squash, and Alison’s Upside-Down Apricot Tart
