Alison Roman's tomatoes dressed in toasted fennel and anchovy

Food-loving naturopath/nutritionist/herbalist, here to share the vego/pescetarian gems I find. I'm Sydney-based but work with clients around Australia and the world online. I also mentor small businesses, to grow a biz you love. Just google my name to find out more.

½ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons fennel seeds, crushed

2 teaspoons Aleppo-style pepper, or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

8 anchovy fillets, plus more if you like

2 to 3 pounds small-ish very ripe tomatoes, quartered or sliced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar

Flaky sea salt

Coarsely ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds, Aleppo-style pepper, and anchovies, swirling and toasting until the spices are fragrant and the anchovies are melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Scatter the tomatoes on a large serving platter or in a shallow bowl. Drizzle with the vinegar and, if you want, scatter with more anchovies (or just serve alongside in their little tin for snacking on). Spoon the toasted fennel-anchovy mixture over and top with flaky salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

There are tomatoes, sure but we are really here for the anchovy-fennel oil used to dress the tomatoes. It’s spicy, salty and deeply savory, and great on everything from other thinly sliced raw vegetables (summer squash, cucumbers, fennel, radishes) to cooked ones (sauteed greens, roasted eggplant or broccoli). Spoon it into pasta, drizzle on eggs, use as a dip for bread, etc. You get the idea. There are tomatoes, sure but we are really here for the anchovy-fennel oil used to dress the tomatoes. It’s spicy, salty and deeply savory, and great on everything from other thinly sliced raw vegetables (summer squash, cucumbers, fennel, radishes) to cooked ones (sauteed greens, roasted eggplant or broccoli). Spoon it into pasta, drizzle on eggs, use as a dip for bread, etc. You get the idea.

DO AHEAD: The toasted fennel-anchovy oil can be made up to 2 weeks ahead, tightly covered, and stored in the refrigerator. The tomatoes can be sliced 1 hour ahead, if you must, but are really best if sliced, dressed, and served immediately.

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