Grilled Little Gem Lettuce with Anchovy Cream and Chive Crumbs

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By mid-August the lettuce row starts stretching upward, cores lengthening and sap turning milky and bitter as the plants prepare to flower. Cut those cos hearts now, halve them, and lay them cut-side down on searing metal: fierce char converts that bitterness into something smoky and almost sweet. Anchovy-spiked crème fraîche and garlicky sourdough crumbs give a bolting crop the backbone of a proper first course.

⏱ Prep 15 min 🔥 Cook 10 min 👥 Serves 4 📊 Level Easy

Ingredients for 4 people

• 4 Little Gem lettuces (about 1 lb 5 oz / 600 g total), or 2 romaine/cos hearts halved lengthwise
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil, plus a little for brushing
• 2 oz (60 g) day-old sourdough or country bread, crusts left on
• 1 fat garlic clove, halved, plus 1 small clove for the dressing
• 6 anchovy fillets in olive oil (about 1/2 oz / 15 g), drained
• 1/3 cup (80 g) crème fraîche (or thick Greek yogurt, or sour cream)
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice, plus the finely grated zest of half a lemon
• 2 tbsp (12 g) finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino
• 3 tbsp (10 g) chives, finely snipped
• Flaky sea salt and coarsely cracked black pepper

The Recipe

• Halve each lettuce lengthwise straight through the root end so the leaves stay anchored in place, then rinse under running water while fanning the layers open with your thumb — grit hides deep in the heart and cannot be washed out once the halves hit the pan. Shake hard and blot the cut faces dry with a tea towel. Do not skip this step: a wet cut face steams grey instead of charring.
• Tear the sourdough into rough pieces and pulse to coarse, uneven crumbs — irregular sizes give you both crisp shards and sandy grit, which reads as more texture than uniform crumbs ever will. Warm 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat with the halved fat garlic clove.
• Fry the crumbs for 4–5 minutes, stirring constantly, until they smell like toast and turn the colour of pale honey; they should rattle rather than thud when you shake the pan. Lift out the garlic halves as soon as they turn blond — pushed further they go acrid and taint the whole batch. Tip the crumbs onto paper, salt lightly while hot so the salt sticks, and leave to cool and firm up.
• Mash the anchovies with the small garlic clove and a pinch of flaky salt using the flat of a knife on your board, dragging until you have a smooth grey-brown paste; the salt crystals act as an abrasive and break the fibres down far better than chopping. Whisk into the crème fraîche with the lemon juice, zest, Parmesan and plenty of cracked pepper, then let it sit 10 minutes so the raw garlic edge softens into the dairy. Loosen with 1–2 tsp cold water until it falls from the spoon in a thick ribbon.
• Heat a ridged griddle pan, heavy cast-iron skillet or barbecue grate until a drop of water skitters and vanishes on contact — around 4–5 minutes on high. Lettuce contains so much water that only fierce, dry heat can brown it before it collapses; a moderate pan gives you warm salad soup.
• Brush the cut faces (not the pan) with olive oil, lay the halves cut-side down and press each one flat with a spatula for the first 10 seconds to force full contact. Leave them absolutely still for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until the ribs are branded dark and the outer leaf edges have gone black and papery, then flip and give the rounded backs 30–45 seconds — just enough to warm through while the core stays crisp and cool.
• Move the halves to a board and season the hot cut faces immediately with flaky salt and pepper. Salting now, and only now, draws a little sap to the surface for the dressing to cling to; salting before grilling would have pulled water out and steamed them.
• Spoon the anchovy cream across four plates, set two lettuce halves on each with the charred faces up, then scatter the crumbs and chives generously over the top so they stay crisp rather than sinking into the sauce. Serve within five minutes, while the char is still warm and the heart still snaps.

©Nature&Garden