Why This Cozy Side Is About to Become Your Favorite Thanksgiving Recipe
I love cabbage so much (we have many delicious cabbage recipes that will make you a fan too). It’s extremely versatile, outlasts most other vegetables in the crisper, is so affordable, and can transform into some seriously impressive dishes. If you’ll allow me to brag for a moment, this is one of those dishes. All you have to do is cut a cabbage into wedges, slather it with some anchovy compound butter, and pop it in the oven. What comes out is practically magic.
The bottoms of the wedges are tender, caramelized, and rich, while the tops get browned and crispy. Cutting the cabbage into wedges also means the butter seeps into every little cranny for maximum flavor throughout. The only thing I love more than an impressive, delicious dish is one that isn’t actually hard to make. This one checks every box. And it’s not fishy — I’ve heard even anchovy-haters love it!
Oh, and it’s delicious warm or at room temperature, which makes it perfect for a holiday dinner spread when oven timing can be crucial.
If you’re making this for a crowd, you ideally want to have one for each person (a little extra never hurt!) depending on how much other food you’re serving. One of the best parts about the wedges is how easily they slide onto those dinner plates. Feel free to scale up or down as needed; the recipe will go off without a hitch (keep reading for some scaling-up tips).
Why You’ll Love It
No flip, no fuss! Don’t bother flipping the cabbage while it’s roasting; the bottom gets perfectly caramelized while the top and side gets extra-crispy.
Big flavor, small effort. Let the anchovy butter do the work for you. With just 15 minutes of prep, these will be ready by the time the oven preheats.
Key Ingredients in Roasted Anchovy Butter Cabbage
Cabbage: Cut a green cabbage into wedges.
Butter: This recipe calls for unsalted butter, but you can use salted butter if you like. Just give it a taste before adding any extra salt — with the anchovies in there, you don’t want to overdo it.
Anchovy: If you’re not sure about anchovies, try them in this recipe. They’re essential to the salty, umami-rich flavor. I like Ortiz, Merro, and Agostino Recca brands.
Fennel seed: Use whole seeds for texture and little bursts of fresh flavor.
Garlic: Finely grating the cloves ensures the flavor gets in every nook and cranny.
Lemon: Add the zest to the compound butter; save the rest for squeezing over before serving.
If You’re Scaling Up, a Few Tips
Don’t crowd the baking sheet! The cabbage can certainly touch a little bit, but if you need to do any overlapping to make it fit, it’s time for two baking sheets. Use the bottom and upper third oven rack positions and check halfway through to see if they need rotating.
Bigger isn’t better. It’s better to use two medium cabbages than one giant one here to achieve the right amount of humanely sized wedges.
Helpful Swaps
You can swap in Savoy or caraflex cabbage for green, but avoid Napa cabbage (it’s too delicate to hold up during roasting).
Add a dollop of whole grain mustard or a teaspoon of crushed coriander seeds to the butter for a boost of texture and flavor.
Replace fennel seeds and chili flakes with whole cumin seeds and ground sumac instead.
Swap parsley for other fresh, tender herbs like cilantro, mint, or dill.
Add more anchovies if you’re game.
A sprinkle of toasted nuts or seeds, or even grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese wouldn’t be out of place here.
Drizzle with zippy chimichurri, mojo verde, or even a little cranberry sauce.
Before adding the cabbage to the serving platter, spread a thick swoosh of Greek yogurt.
More Cabbage Recipes to Try (It’s So Versatile!)
Roasted Anchovy Butter Cabbage Recipe
It’s all about the compound butter.
Prep time 13 minutes
Cook time 28 minutes
Serves 4 to 8
Ingredients
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 medium lemon
4 anchovy fillets in oil
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 medium-large green cabbage (2 to 3 pounds), stem trimmed
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves (from about 15 sprigs)
Instructions
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Arrange a rack in the bottom of the oven and heat the oven to 500ºF.
Finely grate the zest of 1 medium lemon into a small bowl. Cut the zested lemon into wedges and reserve for serving.
Use the side of a chef’s knife to scrape 4 anchovy fillets into a paste, then add to the lemon zest bowl. Add 6 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter, 2 finely grated garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes if desired. Mix until evenly combined.
Halve 1 medium green cabbage through the stem end. Cut each half through the core into 1 1/2-inch-thick wedges (4 to 6 per half).
Carefully rub the anchovy butter all over each cabbage wedge, then arrange cut-side down in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
Roast until the cabbage is tender and deeply browned in spots and on the edges, about 30 minutes. Garnish with 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves and serve with the lemon wedges.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: You can make the anchovy butter mixture up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container. Let sit at room temperature until softened before using. Refrigerate the lemon wedges in a separate airtight container.
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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Further Reading
The One Cookware Brand That Gordon Ramsay Can’t Stop Talking About
Reese’s Just Launched a Limited-Edition Peanut Butter Cup, and It Tastes 4x Better than the Original
