Jersey Royal and Pea Salad with Anchovy Herb Butter
This is an early summer plate built around Jersey royals and fresh peas, tossed warm in an anchovy herb butter so it melts straight into the potatoes, then topped with a crispy fried egg. The butter does the heavy lifting: anchovy, caper, lemon and soft herbs, salty and savoury against the sweet peas and waxy new potatoes. Peppery watercress cuts through it, and the soft yolk runs down into everything when you break it. It comes together quickly and makes a generous lunch.
Jersey Royal and Pea Salad with Anchovy Herb Butter and Crispy Fried Egg
Warm Jersey royals and fresh peas tossed in an anchovy herb butter, with peppery watercress and a crispy fried egg on top. A quick, generous early summer lunch.
Ingredients
- 120g unsalted butter, softened
- 8 anchovy fillets in oil, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp small capers, rinsed
- Zest of 1 lemon
- A generous handful of soft herbs, finely chopped (mint and chives are the natural fits, with fennel fronds, parsley tarragon, chervil or lovage added or substituted depending on what you have)
- 500g Jersey royals, or other small new potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 300g podded fresh peas (around 700g in pods)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 80g watercress
- 1 lemon, for zesting and squeezing
Instructions
- Start with the butter. In a small bowl, beat the softened butter with the chopped anchovies, capers, lemon zest and a good crack of black pepper until evenly combined. Stir through the finely chopped soft herbs. Taste and add salt only if needed, as the anchovy and capers carry plenty. Set aside at room temperature.
- Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Add the Jersey royals and cook for around 8 minutes, then add the peas and simmer for a further 2 to 3 minutes, so they blanch alongside the potatoes.
- Drain everything together and tip back into the warm pan off the heat. Add the anchovy herb butter, replace the lid and toss vigorously to coat. Cover to keep warm.
- Heat a wide non-stick or cast-iron pan over high heat with the rapeseed oil until shimmering. Crack in the eggs, cooking in batches if your pan will not take all four at once, and do not move them. Let the whites bubble and crisp, the edges going lacy and golden, for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until the edges are properly crisp and brown but the yolks still completely soft.
- To serve, divide the warm potato and pea mixture between 4 plates. Scatter the watercress over and around. Top each plate with a crispy fried egg and spoon any remaining anchovy butter from the pan over and around.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
490Fat
33 gCarbs
34 gSugar
6 gProtein
15 gApproximate values per serving
Ingredient Notes
Jersey royals
Jersey royals have a short early season and a distinctive, almost nutty flavour that suits this dish. Do not peel them, just scrub and cut to size, as the skins are part of the appeal. Any small, waxy new potato works in their place.
Peas
Fresh podded peas are worth it when they are in season. Out of season, frozen peas are genuinely good here and need only a minute or two.
Anchovies
Use good anchovy fillets in oil. They melt into the butter and season the whole dish rather than tasting overtly fishy, so do not be put off by the quantity.
Capers
Small capers are best, finely chopped so they distribute evenly. If yours are salt-packed, rinse them first.
Watercress
The peppery bite of watercress is the fresh counterpoint to all that rich butter, so do not be tempted to leave it out.
Soft herbs
Use whatever soft herbs you genuinely like. Mint and chives are the strongest core pairing with the peas, anchovy and egg. Fennel fronds add a clean anise note, tarragon does the same with more punch, chervil adds delicacy, and lovage brings a savoury, herbaceous depth.
Kitchen Notes
Make the butter ahead
The anchovy herb butter can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept covered in the fridge. Bring it back to room temperature before using so it melts properly into the warm potatoes.
Go easy on the salt
Taste before adding any salt to the butter. The anchovies and capers are both salty, so it often needs none at all.
Toss the potatoes warm
Add the butter off the heat while the potatoes and peas are still hot, then toss hard with the lid on so everything is glossy and coated. A warm pan is what melts the butter into the dish.
The crispy egg
Get the oil properly shimmering, crack the eggs in and leave them alone. The high heat is what crisps the whites into lacy, golden edges while keeping the yolks soft. Resist moving them, and cook in batches rather than crowding the pan.
Variations
Vegetarian
Leave out the anchovies and lift the butter with extra capers, a little lemon and a touch of white miso for savoury depth. It becomes a different butter, but a good one.
Swap the egg
A soft-boiled or poached egg works in place of the crispy fried one if you would rather a softer finish.
More greens
A few spears of asparagus or a handful of broad beans, blanched with the peas, are a natural early summer addition.
Serving Suggestions
How to serve
Serve it warm, with the egg on top and the butter from the pan spooned over and around. The yolk broken freshly at the table runs into the potatoes and peas.
What to serve alongside
It is a complete lunch as it is, but a piece of crusty bread to mop up the buttery juices is never unwelcome.
Zero Waste
Pea pods
Podding 700g of peas leaves a lot of pods, and they are full of flavour. Simmer them into a quick vegetable stock, or blitz and sieve them into a pea soup.
Leftover anchovy butter
Any butter you do not use keeps in the fridge for a few days. It is excellent melted over grilled fish, steak or roasted vegetables, or simply spread on hot toast
