Anchovy Buglama

This quick-cooking skillet dish consists of layers of sliced ripe tomatoes and freshly filleted anchovies topped with knobs of butter and sprinkled with both sliced and ground chiles.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium-large ripe, juicy tomatoes, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
12-16 oz. fresh anchovies, butterflied and cleaned (heads, tails, and spines removed)
2 long thin mild or hot green chiles, such as Anaheim, halved lengthwise, seeded if desired, and thinly sliced
Salt
4 tbsp. (2 oz.) unsalted butter
3 tsp. white verjus or apple cider vinegar
Pul biber (untoasted Turkish red chile flakes), such as Maras, Antep, or Aleppo Crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

In a 12-inch cast iron or heavy-bottomed skillet, add the olive oil and tilt the pan to coat the surface. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer to cover the bottom of the pan, barely overlapping their edges. Arrange the garlic slices over the tomatoes, then lay the anchovies over the garlic and tomatoes in a pinwheel pattern. Sprinkle to taste with the sliced chiles, then top with another layer of tomatoes. Season generously with salt and distribute the butter slices around the top. Finally, drizzle with the verjus and sprinkle with pul biber to taste.
Cover the pan with a lid and set over high heat. Cook, covered and without disturbing, until the juices are sizzling and the garlic, fish, and vinegar are aromatic, 6-8 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and cook, covered, until the fish is just steamed through, 8-10 minutes. (There should be a decent amount of liquid at the bottom of the pan.) If your tomatoes were exceptionally juicy, uncover the pan and boil off a little of the excess juices before serving. Serve warm from the pan, with crusty bread.

Robyn Eckhardt