Al Roker Always Keeps This Ingredient in His Pantry — and Not Everyone Likes It

Hint: It’s the key to a stellar Caesar salad.

Al Roker, longtime TODAY show anchor and weatherman, knows his way around the kitchen. And his upcoming cookbook — Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By: Easy, Memory-Making Family Dishes for Every Occasion — written with his daughter, chef Courtney Roker Laga, got him talking about his pantry. (Roker and Roker Laga shared stories and dishes from the book at the inaugural Food & Wine Classic in Charleston earlier this month.)

After all, Roker is a busy guy. (Counting his new cookbook, he’s written 14 books in total.) So what staple does he most rely on when he needs to get dinner on the table quickly?

“It’s probably polarizing,” Roker says, “but I always have a jar of anchovies.”

“I obviously like them in a Caesar salad , but I also like chopping them up and putting them in a tuna fish salad ,” he adds. “I also take about four or six fillets and slowly dissolve them in a pan, and then I sauté lamb chops in that, and it gives it this great umami burst.”

Related: A Guide to Cooking with Anchovies

What’s more, Roker will dissolve finely chopped anchovies in his tomato sauce . “I don’t even tell people they’re in there,” he says. “It’s a simple thing that adds up to a lot.” His favorite brand is Ortiz , which makes anchovies packed in tins and jars. “They’re the tinned fish titans.”

Types of anchovies and how to use them

When you’re shopping for anchovies, you’ll find a few different varieties. Oil-packed anchovies like Ortiz are common at the supermarket and can be used right out of the tin or jar. Salt-packed anchovies should first be rinsed in water to ensure they’re not too salty; they also need to be filleted. Water-packed anchovies, on the other hand, offer a cleaner flavor, though they typically still contain some salt. Boquerones, white anchovies marinated in vinegar, taste more mild than your average anchovies and are a great gateway for the anchovy-averse. Anchovy paste, meanwhile, comes in a squeezable tube and can be used as a substitute for oil-packed anchovies that are mashed into a paste or spread onto toast.

Related: The 5 Best Anchovies to Buy, According to Chefs

You can use all these kinds of anchovies in much the same way. Mash whole anchovies into a paste for Caesar dressing; finely chop then sauté them in oil or butter to form the base of a flavorful pasta sauce or dip like bagna cauda ; beat them into a compound butter ; or simply enjoy them as a snack on top of toast.

Here are five recipes that showcase the versatility of Al Roker’s favorite pantry staple. All hail anchovies!

Caesar Salad

Anchovies are Caesar dressing’s key ingredient — the source of its signature umami punch. For this next-level version, the croutons are also brushed with anchovy oil before getting baked.

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Chicken Provençal

Just a teaspoon of anchovy paste gives incredible depth of flavor to the tomato sauce in this one-skillet chicken dish that evokes southern France.

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Anchovy Toasts with Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette

These build-your-own-toasts from 2003 F&W Best New Chef Stuart Brioza top garlic-rubbed, thick-sliced ciabatta with a simple tomato vinaigrette and oil-packed salted anchovy fillets.

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Pan-Seared Lamb Steaks with Anchovy Butter

For this dinner party–worthy dish, oil-packed anchovies are mashed into a paste with garlic then combined with butter, parsley, pimentón, and lemon zest. It’s the perfect topping for pan-seared lamb steaks (or any protein of your choice).

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Pasta with Fresh Puttanesca Sauce

Minced anchovy fillets, capers, and green olives pack in plenty of salty, vibrant flavor for this effortless no-cook tomato sauce. If you have a little more time, try cookbook author Ann Taylor Pittman’s Warm Puttanesca Pasta Salad .

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