Anchovies: Some Facts and a Little History

More often than not when someone is raving about a delicious Italian meal and they can't quite figure out what created that magnificent flavor the mysterious ingredient that made the meal so memorable was in fact anchovies. They might be small but these fish pack a huge punch in flavor and often act as a backbone to many Italian recipes. Anchovies cannot be ignored for long (even though they sometimes look icky, really icky).

Anchovies are small saltwater fish; about 3 inches long and related to Herring. There are about six distinct species of the fish worldwide and are all are harvested for consumption. They can be cooked fresh in areas close to their natural habitat such as coastal Italy but are usually sold packed in salt, tinned or jarred in oil or as a paste in tubes.

Anchovies Packed in Salt

Regardless of the type used, preserving anchovies in salt uses a time-honored technique to deliver that distinctive flavor. Time is critical for the preservation of the flavor and so processing must begin shortly after the fish are caught. Anchovies are cleaned and washed in salt brine, then allowed to dry. The fish are then layered into large round tins according to fish size with each layer receiving a specific amount of sea salt. These tins are then piled high into what are called seasoning towers to allow the anchovies to cure for up to two months. These towers are topped with weights, compressing the fish and removing excess fluids and fat. Once the specified curing time is over the tins are sealed and prepared for shipping.

Anchovies packed in Olive Oil

The other popular way to enjoy anchovies is to have them packed in olive oil. Just like their salted cured counterparts, these fish must be fresh caught in order to ensure flavor. The fish are immersed in salt brine to clean them and then packed into very large drums with salt and strong brine. After curing for two months the fish are then cleaned of their fins and any left over hard pieces before undergoing repeated rinsing in salt water to remove scales and skin. Each anchovy is then filleted by hand, removing the bones and leaving two fillets per tiny fish. These fillets are now ready to be jarred or put into tins with olive oil.

Anchovy Paste

Anchovy paste is anchovy fillets ground to a paste. The paste is combined with salt and sometimes sugar to reduce the fishy flavor. Paste comes in tubes and is a much more pungent, salty and fishy product than other anchovies. It is used in a traditional Sicilian pizza known as Sfincione.

Buying Anchovies

Salted anchovies begin to lose quality as soon as the tin is opened. It may be better to buy only as many anchovies as you need; make sure to rinse the extra salt off the fish before using since they are much too salty to eat out of the can. If you don't use them all within a few days, wash the salt off, place in a jar of olive oil, seal with a lid and refrigerate. The fish will keep for about 5 days. Do not keep the fish in the can, as it will give them a metallic taste once the can has been exposed to air.