This recipe was a tasty deviation from regular, old basil pesto and was a wonderful contrast to the cioppino. I particularly liked the tarragon, the fennel, the Kasseri cheese, and the almonds. What was disappointing was the lack of anchovy flavor! Then again, yours truly has never before bought whole fresh anchovies and gutted them by hand, so I had no idea what to expect; I’m more used to the stuff they sell you in a can, which is pungent indeed. Next time I’ll be a little more careful and pair the anchovies with ingredients that complement rather than override.

Ingredients
4 fresh anchovies
extra virgin olive oil
lemon juice
salt
pepper
1 clove garlic
tarragon
fennel
Italian parsley
almonds
20g Kasseri cheese
water

1. Fillet the anchovies, removing the head, entrails, spine, tail and fins. See this video in German for a visual example. Run your fingers over the fillet, feeling around for any missed hard cartilage that may have escaped your notice. NB: an excellent place to check is at the top of the fillet, near the gills.
2. Lightly saute the anchovies with a little oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic. Then transfer the contents of the pan to the food processor, along with the rest of the ingredients in the list. Puree to desired consistency, adding olive oil, lemon juice, and a touch of water to achieve the proper thickness and viscosity.
3. Serve with sourdough bread.

One other note: if you make this again, blanch the almonds for a pesto with a smoother texture.