Cultured Anchovy Butter

Cultured butter is made through fermentation which means that, unlike pasteurised butter, cultured butter contains good bacteria, known to benefit our gut microbiome. In this Cultured Anchovy Butter recipe the kefir (fermented milk) is used to ferment the double cream. The probiotic bacteria found in kefir products usually include: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, Lactococcus lactis, and Leuconostoc species.

The flavour of this Cultured Anchovy Butter is amazing and incredibly moreish, but more than that Miguel says “Anchovies are a great source of Omega 3 and the latest scientific consensus suggests that they are in fact a prebiotic.” Prebiotics are substances that are known to act as ‘food’ for the good bacteria in our gut, helping them to thrive and multiply.

Makes about 350g of butter which we use in our Sourdough Tagliatelle Recipe.

Ingredients:
1 litre double cream
100ml kefir (fermented milk)
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
2 teaspoons small capers, chopped
small bunch parsley, chopped
sea salt

Equipment:
Mixing bowl
Hand whisk
Sieve
Parchment paper
Butter dish

Method:

Day 1:
Combine the cream and kefir in a bowl, cover and leave to set overnight.

Day 2:
Stir the mixture with a whisk until the liquids (buttermilk) separates from the solids (butter). Put the mixture in the fridge and leave for one hour.

Drain the buttermilk from the butter with a sieve. Squeeze the butter to remove any excess liquid. Weigh the butter and add 1% salt to the butter, along with the anchovy paste, capers and chopped parsley, and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning with anchovy and salt.

Shape the butter, wrap in parchment paper and store in the fridge. Serve on your favourite butter dish.