Jansson's Temptation Without Ansjovis

Asked by paminnorfolk. Answered on 20th January 2021

Full question

I really want to try the Jansson's Temptation, but where I live I can't source ansjovis. Is there a suitable alternative? I have tried shopping online but they are sold out - I wonder why? I did think of trying sweetcured rollmop herring, but wondered if this would be too bland...please advise; desperate to make this!

Is it possible to use ready-made chips for the Jansson's Temptation?

Jansson's Temptation

By Nigella

Our answer

Nigella's recipe for Jansson's Temptation (from COOK, EAT, REPEAT) is made with ansjovis. Ansjovis are different to the canned anchovies in oil, instead they are sprats that are canned in a slightly sweet brine. If you can't find the ansjovis then you could use pickled herring (rollmops) or maatjes herring as possible substitutes. As these are larger fish you will need to cut them into smaller pieces first.

The fish could be omitted and you could stir 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan into the cream and milk mixture, though then it becomes a very good potato gratin rather than a Jansson's Temptation. The potatoes are cut into thin chip (French fry) shapes as this is the traditional cut for the potatoes in a Jansson's Temptation. We would not recommend using store-bought chips as the chips are usually pre-cooked and then coated in extra oil and sometimes also in rice flour and dextrose. This means that they will cook very differently to freshly-cut potatoes and will make a significant difference to the recipe.