Grilled Broccoli and Lemon With Chile and Garlic

Published May 8, 2022

Grilled Broccoli and Lemon With Chile and Garlic
Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Pappas.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(639)
Comments
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Alongside piles of roasted eggplant, the charred broccoli salad has become somewhat of a mascot on the salad display at Ottolenghi restaurants and delis throughout London. So much so, in fact, that it can’t be removed from the menu, let alone tampered with. But here, the favorite is played with: Charred lemons and anchovies, savory with umami, add sourness and funk. Serve this alongside your protein of choice, or as part of an al fresco spread.

Featured in: The Dish Our Customers Will Never Let Us Take Off the Menu

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • Salt
  • 2small or medium broccoli with stalks (about 1 ½ pounds/700 grams)
  • 7tablespoons/103 milliliters olive oil, plus more for grilling
  • 1large Fresno chile, thinly sliced at an angle, seeds and all
  • 6garlic cloves, thinly sliced lengthways
  • 5 to 6anchovies packed in oil, drained
  • 1large lemon, cut into 8 thin rounds and seeded, the rest squeezed for 1 teaspoon juice
  • tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
  • Flaky sea salt, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

275 calories; 25 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 571 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to a boil over medium-high. Keep a large bowl of ice water next to it. Meanwhile, trim the broccoli so 2 inches/5 centimeters of stalk remain attached. Cut the broccoli in half lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise again to give you 4 wedges per head.

  2. Step 2

    Blanch the broccoli by adding it to the boiling water and cooking for 3½ minutes, until softened. The stalks should retain a nice bite. Use a pair of tongs to remove the wedges and plunge them straight into the ice water to stop them from cooking further. Once completely cool, drain and dry them well, then place in a large bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, add 6 tablespoons/89 milliliters of oil, the chiles and garlic to a small frying pan and place it over medium heat. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden and the chiles start to become transparent. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the solids to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside to cool and crisp further.

  4. Step 4

    Add the anchovies to the pan and place over low heat. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until an anchovy is soft enough to be easily squashed with the back of a spoon. Set aside to cool completely.

  5. Step 5

    Place a large, well-greased grill pan over high heat and ventilate your kitchen well. (See Tip for outdoor grilling.) Toss the broccoli gently with 1½ teaspoons olive oil. Once the pan is very hot, grill the broccoli in 2 batches, turning so that all the flat sides have nice grill marks, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a tray to cool down. Grill the lemon rounds for 1½ minutes per side, until nicely charred, then transfer to a chopping board. When cool enough to handle, finely chop the lemon (skin and all) and transfer to a small bowl along with the lemon juice, parsley and remaining 1½ teaspoons olive oil. Mix well and set aside.

  6. Step 6

    Once the broccoli has cooled, top with the anchovy oil mixture and toss gently to combine. Arrange on a large serving platter and top evenly with the charred lemon mixture. Lastly, sprinkle over the fried chile and garlic and the flaked salt.

Tip
  • You can grill the broccoli and lemon slices at the same time on an outdoor charcoal or gas grill heated to medium-high (450 degrees). Grill (covered if using a gas grill), turning occasionally, until charred, about 10 minutes for the broccoli and about 3 minutes for the lemon.

Ratings

4 out of 5
639 user ratings
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Comments

You will find elsewhere on the Times site a recipe called "Vegan Caesar Salad With Crisp Chickpeas." That recipe uses Caper Brine, Nutritional Yeast, Mustard, Garlic, and White Miso paste for a *very* rich and delicious flavor profile that (to my tastes, and I eat seafood and vegetables) works even better than anchovies and well mimics the rich, salty, briny anchovy vibe.

My everyday recipe is to roast broccoli florets tossed with olive oil, dried red chilis, salt & pepper (add garlic, cumin, or whatever spice profile you are looking for) on a sheet pan at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes (toss halfway during cooking), until starting to char. You can then eat them with rice, pasta, quinoa, add to soup, etc. I make a large batch each Sunday and nibble all week.

Capers are a good swap for anchovies!

Lemon, anchovy, broccoli and chile. Only Ottolenghi.

Attempted this as stated and it is too much work for the return. Found it challenging to get the right temp for cooking the garlic and peppers and they cooked too fast. Grilled it and needed a hotter grill to get good marks without overcooking the broccoli. Lemon was ok. Tried capers instead of anchovies. Won’t make this again.

Not bad but a little complex for the payoff especially for relaxed grilling evenings. I’d definitely use the chopped grilled lemon idea again and then just sprinkle with chili flakes and flake salt.

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