I bought a little tin of The Gentleman’s Relish while I was shopping at British Isles because it sounded quaint in a British Raj sort of way. I imagined eating some on crackers with my gin and tonic. But after I opened the can and tried some on a cracker, I almost threw it away. I like anchovy paste, but this stuff is ridiculous. Can something be saltier than salt?
The challenge was to come with something to do with the stuff so I wouldn’t have to look at it sitting there in the refrigerator. A few days later, after I made a giant tureen of gazpacho and homemade croutons, I hit on the perfect use for the salty anchovy spread. I put some on each crouton before I floated it in the middle of my gazpacho. The fishy croutons tasted fabulous in the icy garlicky soup.
This article appears in Sep 3-9, 2009.