Minnesota Spoon: savory wild rice pancakes with anchovy butter

Wild rice pancakes, bacon confit, and scrambled eggs loaded with creme fraiche make up this savory Minnesota breakfast // Photo by Matt Lien

Photos by Matt Lien

Minnesota has an obsession with wild rice. The grain is so emblematic of our state, it’s baffling how we became labeled as a group of grape-salad eaters. Apparently the importance of this abundant, local grain isn’t abundantly clear to the rest of the country. From being a staple of Native American culture to a modern day major export, the wild rice harvest is ingrained in Minnesota’s DNA.

Another thing that seems to be part of our modern culture, specifically in Minneapolis, is a love for brunch. It’s a down-to-earth meal that, even when taken to a certain level of sophistication, is still approachable for any diner. In usual Minnesota Spoon fashion, we’re going to do a mash-up of these two cultural favorites and make brunch for dinner, starring savory wild rice pancakes with anchovy butter.

This recipe goes great with any number of accoutrements. We opted for giant slices of bacon confit and scrambled eggs loaded with creme fraiche, but ham, breakfast sausage, or pretty much any pork can be substituted. Also, this recipe has jalapeños and spinach folded into the pancakes, but corn, mushrooms or even some white cheese would do nicely as well.

Recipe

Anchovy butter

For topping wild rice pancakes

Ingredients

• ½ pound salted butter
• 2 anchovies, deboned
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon parsley, minced
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon capers, chopped

Method

In a food processor, blend all the ingredients until fully incorporated. Let it come to room temperature before serving.

Savory wild rice pancakes

Savory wild rice pancakes topped with anchovy butter // Photo by Matt Lien

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• ¼ cup jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⅓ cup milk
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Method

Combine the first six ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix the milk, eggs, and oil together in a separate bowl.

When the wet ingredients are fully mixed, fold them into the dry ingredients making sure not to over-mix.

Heat a large cast iron pan on the stove and add a generous pat of plain butter. Right before it starts to brown, add individual scoops of the pancake mix. Cook until browned on both sides and cooked all the way through.

To serve

Drop a pat of the anchovy butter on the hot pancakes on a plate. Let it melt all over the place.

[shareprints gallery_id=”31085″ gallery_type=”squares” gallery_position=”pos_center” gallery_width=”width_100″ image_size=”medium” image_padding=”5″ theme=”light” image_hover=”popout” lightbox_type=”slide” comments=”false” sharing=”true”]For more cooking tips, follow @TheMinnesotaSpoon on Instagram or Facebook, or go toSlayToGourmet.com to see some previous recipes.