What is it
Anchovies are small fish that are preserved and stored in tins or jars.
Buying
If you’re in the market for anchovies, most of the time you’re looking for the ones in oil. Find out more below.
Storing
Once you’ve opened your anchovies, they should be kept in the fridge. If they’re in a tin, transfer them into a resealable container with the liquid.
GETTING TO KNOW ANCHOVIES
Anchovies are small fish with a big bite. Their delicate freshness is short-lived so they’re filleted, salt-cured and packed into tins or jars. Preserved this way, they transform into something intensely sophisticated. They’re the soy sauce of the sea, adding a salty, umami layer without hijacking your dish.
While these tiny fish are delicious fresh from the water, the kind we cook with are canned. Because of their small size, you can eat the bones. When sizzled off in a saucepan, anchovy bones dissolve completely.
The traditional method of processing and preserving anchovies is to gut and salt them in brine, allow them to cure, and then pack them in oil or salt. Glamorous, right? But during that salty siesta, something incredible happens. Enzymes and good bacteria work their magic, turning these tiny fish into salty, briny powerhouses.
If you’re in the market for anchovies, most of the time you’re looking for the ones in oil. But there’s more than one way to reel them in.
- In oil. These are your kitchen workhorses. They're salt-cured, cleaned up, and chilling in oil, ready for action. Pop open a flat can or a glass jar, and they're your trusty sidekick for any recipe. Reserve the fancy ones for a solo snack.
- In vinegar. Great for eating, not so much cooking. If you haven’t tried boquerones, you’re missing out. Delicioso.
- Fresh out of water. If you manage to find them fresh in a fishmonger or supermarket, use your nose to judge freshness–when anchovies begin to spoil, they smell pretty bad.
"Chef, what's your favourite brand of anchovies?"
If you’re adding anchovies to your cooking, you don’t need to spend too much. Expensive anchovies are a waste as the texture and subtle taste differences will be lost anyway. For Chaya, it has to be John West for consistency. For Milli, it's Pujado Solano.
Chaya - BrownBread Test Kitchen Development Chef