Al Roker has very strong opinions on food.
The TODAY weatherman hates pumpkin spice lattes (“There’s no pumpkin in it — it’s chemicals”) and detests truffles (“They smell like feet”).
One thing he loves, though, is anchovies.
He puts them on racks of lamb, lamb shanks, sausage, fish and, most recently, tomato sandwiches.
Upon returning home from the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, Al promptly made himself a tomato and anchovy sandwich and posted the glorious final product on Instagram.
In his photo, we see sliced tomato, mayo and anchovy fillets encased by toasted sourdough — the ultimate summer sandwich.
The comments section, however, is divided over one ingredient.
“Hold the anchovies,” one person commented.
“Tomato minus anchovies, my favorite!” wrote another.
“Sorry to yuck your yum, but that’s a NO to anchovies,” said someone else.
To the detractors, Al commented, “To everyone who doesn’t like anchovies, you are missing out on a burst of salty, umami flavor but to each their own.”
And he’s right: Though they might be bracingly salty and fishy on their own straight from the can, anchovies can bring a gentle punch of umami flavor to dishes — from Caesar salad to salmon, and pasta to deviled eggs.
In the case of Al’s dish, anchovies bring out the umami of the tomatoes, making for a deeply savory sandwich.
While there were plenty of critics, many in his comments section agreed:
“Oh that sounds so good,” one person commented.
“I like them, Al! You’re a man of refined taste!” wrote another.
“I LOVE ❤️ Tomatoe 🍅 and Anchovy sandwiches 🥪 !!,” said someone else, suggesting he also “Throw some fresh Basil 🌿 leaves in there!!!”
Suddenly craving an anchovy-accented dish? Look no further:
