Vegan Substitute
Vegan anchovy replacements for Caesar dressing, pizza, pasta puttanesca, and umami flavor. Capers, miso, and seaweed-based solutions.
Anchovy fishing contributes to overfishing of small forage fish that are essential to marine food chains. Their depletion affects whales, seabirds, and ocean ecosystems.
Caesar dressing, pasta puttanesca, pizza
Miso provides the deep salty umami, capers add the briny punch. Best combined for complex anchovy-like flavor.
Pizza topping, Caesar salad, Asian dishes
Tear nori into anchovy-sized strips. Adds oceanic, briny flavor directly. Also works in dressings when blended.
Pasta sauces, bruschetta, umami depth
Blend kalamata olives with capers, garlic, and olive oil. Salty, briny, and rich — hits many of the same notes as anchovies.
Blend 1/4 cup raw cashews, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp capers, 1 tsp miso paste, 1 clove garlic, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, and water to thin. The capers and miso replicate the anchovy umami perfectly.
The combination of miso paste (fermented umami), capers (briny saltiness), and nori seaweed (ocean minerality) together replicate the complex anchovy flavor. Use all three for the most authentic result.
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