Charred Broccoli

Name: Charred Broccoli
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons salted butter; 1 cup panko; 2 tablespoons rendered chicken fat, duck fat or vegetable oil; 4 anchovies packed in salt or oil, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, drained and chopped; 1 teaspoon minced dried shallots, or substitute 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh onion or shallot; 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste; 5 cloves whole garlic, peeled; 1 cup grapeseed oil; 2 large eggs; 1 tablespoon fish sauce (preferably Three Crabs brand), or more as needed; 1 1/2 teaspoons apple vinegar, preferably Bragg unfiltered; 1 1/2 teaspoons caper juice; 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice; 1 head broccoli, woody stem removed, sliced lengthwise about 1/2-inch thick, keeping as many of the florets connected to the stem as possible; 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil; 1/4 teaspoon salt

Recipe from Ben Spiegel

Adapted by Jeff Gordinier

Charred Broccoli — Daniel Krieger for The New York Times

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(117)
Notes: Read community notes

New Nordic cuisine has spread far beyond Scandinavia in the last few years, and this dish goes a long toward explaining why. The broccoli, seared but still crunchy, is brightened by a beguilingly salty, savory and garlicky aioli, then finished with buttery seasoned panko. While the recipe requires multiple steps and some attention to make sure the bread crumbs and garlic are not overcooked, the preparation pulls together easily. This dish also lends itself well to situations where time may be limited, as both the aioli and bread crumbs can easily be prepared ahead of time. The result is a composed, umami-laden dish that is rich but balanced. —Jeff Gordinier

Featured in: A Nordic Quest in New York

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Bread Crumbs

2tablespoons salted butter
1cup panko
2tablespoons rendered chicken fat, duck fat or vegetable oil
4anchovies packed in salt or oil, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, drained and chopped
1teaspoon minced dried shallots, or substitute ½ teaspoon minced fresh onion or shallot
½teaspoon salt, or to taste

For the Aioli

5cloves whole garlic, peeled
1cup grapeseed oil
2large eggs
1tablespoon fish sauce (preferably Three Crabs brand), or more as needed
1½teaspoons apple vinegar, preferably Bragg unfiltered
1½teaspoons caper juice
½teaspoon lemon juice

For the Broccoli

1head broccoli, woody stem removed, sliced lengthwise about ½-inch thick, keeping as many of the florets connected to the stem as possible
3tablespoons grapeseed oil
¼teaspoon salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Make the bread crumbs: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the panko and mix well. Spread on a baking sheet and bake until toasted, mixing occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Step 2
In a small pan over medium-low heat, heat the fat or oil until shimmering. Add the anchovies and sauté until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer anchovies to paper towels to drain. Scrape the anchovies into a bowl. Add the shallots, panko and salt and mix well; set aside.
Step 3
Make the aioli: In a small saucepan, combine the garlic and oil. Place over very low heat and allow garlic to cook until softened but not browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Step 4
Transfer garlic to a blender, reserving the oil. Add the eggs, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, vinegar, caper juice and lemon juice. Pulse until foamy. With blender at medium speed, slowly stream in the reserved oil until mixture has the consistency of thin mayonnaise. If more saltiness is desired, add fish sauce to taste. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate; the aioli will thicken when chilled.
Step 5
Make the broccoli: Place a heavy-bottomed pan over high heat until very hot. Add the grapeseed oil and place broccoli, cut side down, in the pan. Lightly season with salt.
Step 6
Sear broccoli until browned, about 1 minute, then quickly flip to sear the raw side for 30 seconds. Promptly remove from heat.
Step 7
To serve, arrange broccoli on a platter or individual plates. Brush with garlic aioli, and sprinkle liberally with the seasoned panko. Serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5

117 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Queenoid6 years ago

NEVER make this! Every step is wrong.
Order. Saute garlic the day before. Save garlic & oil. Oil must be cool for next step. Panko can wait!
Aoili. Will NOT going to thicken Maybe if you had made the garlic/oil mixture yesterday and cooled everything. I made it per instructions (whole egg mayonnaise is always a little dicey and-It was just a messy thin nothing.Tried to bind with a yolk. Still a mess.
Every step of this recipe was a waste, AND the steps were in the wrong order.
Save Yourselves!

Catherine6 years ago

One of my all-time favorite broccoli recipes - the aioli is truly addictive. I don't quite follow these directions, though: instead of what's written I use only 1 clove of garlic, which I crush and whisk with the egg yolk, 1 tsp cool/cold water, and a pinch of salt. Then I add the oil by hand (a balloon whisk helps a lot), starting by adding 1 tsp at a time, and then pouring in a thin, steady stream. Finally I add the fish sauce, vinegar, lemon & caper juices.

Akinney6 years ago

Outstanding. Well worth the time to make. A screaming hot cast iron skillet produced a nice char on the broccoli. A dash of chicken broth fsteam finished it tender-crisp. I used day-old artisan bread and olive oil whirled in the processor instead of butter and panko with the anchovies in the crumb topping with just as crunchy results. Everything else same as written. Excellent, highly recommend. Would be superb with steak.

Beverly6 years ago

I've made this probably a dozen times. I find it way easier to toss the florets in the broiler on high for a few minutes when making a large batch. Also works well with cauliflower. Having had this at the now shuttered restaurant the recipe comes from I can say that the word aioli is misleading. It's supposed to be thinner and was billed more as an emulsion (with duck egg no less) on the menu. The grapeseed oil is key and I often add a squeeze of anchovy paste to the "aioli."

Josephine6 years ago

Made this exactly as the recipe stated and it turned out great! The umami factor in the breadcrumbs is amazing. The aioli was nice and I wouldn't change a thing. While this recipe was a bit labor intensive, it was totally worth it.

Kat3 years ago

This recipe is solid but when pressed for time I love making a cheat version: oil/salt the broccoli steaks and roast in the oven at 450F; meanwhile, make a fake aioli with mayo + seasonings, and fry the panko and alliums in the same skillet after dissolving anchovies in hot oil. Comes together in less than 30 min.

ReubLou3 years ago

This was a real crowd pleaser! It was the most popular dish at our christmas dinner. Followed the advice of others and worked on the aioli first. Cooled the oil in the fridge because I was pressed for time. Followed the directions as written on the aioli and it came out perfect. The only differences were that I used olive oil and a food processor. Ended up with way more aioli and breadcrumbs than necessary. Would probably halve those next time.

Bruce4 years ago

Loved the recipe, and the end result. When my partner about "umami", the breadcrumbs are a great demonstration. Starting early or way ahead will make it easier, but it is a great recipe.

BHGW5 years ago

I made this for my book club and everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. Instead of making the tahini sauce I bought a squeeze bottle lemon tahini sauce (Cava at Whole Foods) which made the recipe beyond simple.

Joe Sperlunto6 years ago

I always roll my eyes when NYT cooking tries to tell us what brands we need to use.

Akinney6 years ago

Beverly6 years ago

Josephine6 years ago

Catherine6 years ago

Queenoid6 years ago

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