Bobby Flay's 'Secret Go-To' Ingredient Is A Robust Pantry Staple

When Bobby Flay offers tips and tricks regarding the best ways to cook delicious meals, we listen. While this can sometimes pertain to subjects such as what cooking oil Flay prefers to use, or the chef's tip for perfectly melted cheese on burgers, it sometimes dives a little deeper into the key ingredients he uses to make standard dishes incredible. And it turns out that anchovies are one of these staple ingredients.

"I put anchovies in so many things, and people don't know it," Flay revealed in a video posted on Instagram by online grocery company Misfits Market, describing them as his "secret go-to" ingredient. The canned fish is relatively polarizing to many, as quite a lot of people are legitimately repulsed by the idea of consuming them in any way. However, Flay highly recommends using anchovies while cooking, and he likes to include them in several different dishes to enhance the flavors of the food or sauce. Flay particularly likes to add anchovies when cooking seafood. "I crush up a bunch of anchovies, put it in the sauce," he explained. "It just enhances it so much more."

While not everyone wants to consume anchovies straight from the can, they add a salty, savory flavor that isn't as fishy as you'd imagine once cooked. And Flay has a number of tips for how to make the most out of them.

While Bobby Flay is far from the first person to note that using canned fish like anchovies can improve dishes, his revelation that he uses the ingredient so frequently may surprise casual fans of the celebrity chef. However, Flay does use anchovies in some of his most popular recipes, including mincing and mixing them into the crumb topping of his lobster mac and cheese. He also uses the canned fish in a simple dish of pasta tossed with rich anchovy butter inspired by a version he tried in Rome. Though simple to make, the ingredient has a big impact on the final dish: It's when you taste it that "the magic starts to happen," Flay said (via YouTube).

The reason anchovies work so well in so many recipes (even for people who hate them) is because of the way they are cooked, and what happens to them during the process. While people dislike anchovies for their texture and overwhelming taste, cutting up and cooking the canned fish can transform it as the fish begins to melt and dissolve in the heat. The strong taste is replaced by a complex, almost indefinable umami flavor which is perfect for accentuating the other more focal elements in the dishes you make. So, even if you think a dish with anchovies isn't for you, give it a try — they are more versatile and useful than you ever would've thought.