Anchovies are tiny silver fish packed with healthy omega-3s and flavor.

Shopping tips:

• Anchovies are sold packaged, whole, and most commonly filleted and packed in oil.
• If purchasing fresh anchovies, look for bright coloring in the eye and a fresh, briny odor.
• Anchovies are commonly sold in 2 oz tin cans, packed in salt or oil.

Cooking tips:

• Because they break down easily when cooked, anchovies are great for making sauces and dips, adding extra flavor without an overly ‘fishy’ taste.
• Packaged anchovies are typically packed in salt, so remember to rinse off excess salt before cooking or eating.

*Chef’s tips from Barton Seaver
To use a salt-packed anchovy, soak the whole fish in water for about 20 minutes. After soaking, the meat can be easily removed by running a finger down the backbone to separate one fillet and then the other. The bones will remain on the spine. Use the fillets just as you would oil-packed ones.

I usually save the oil from oil-packed fillets to use in vinaigrettes or to drizzle over the dish when it is plated. Anchovies are pretty cheap and keep for a while, so I stock up and always have a couple of tins on hand. The salted variety usually comes in one-kilogram tins, so it is an investment. The salt keeps them preserved, and if you use them with any frequency they will be fine stored for many months in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Recently, a product called white anchovies (sold in small trays) has become widely available in the United States. These anchovies have been vinegar cured and have a bright, clean flavor completely unlike canned. Try them laid over crisp salad greens or as a twist to a classic Caesar salad.

Filleting these small fish can at first seem intimidating, but in five easy steps you will have delicious and ready-to-use fillets.

1 Soak needed amount of anchovies in cool water.
2 Cut along the backbone to separate the fillets.
3 Gently peel the fillets away from the bone.
4 Remove and discard the backbone and tail.
5 Fillets are ready to use.

Anchovies are also great toppers for pizzas or salads.

More on anchovies

Most of the anchovies that are caught are used to produce fishmeal and fish oil in animal feeds, food additives, fertilizers, and dietary supplements.

Because anchovies reproduce quickly and are short lived, they are able to withstand extensive fishing efforts.

Read more

Recipes

Bread with Anchovy and Butter
Jansson’s Temptation

*Reprinted with permission from For Cod & Country © 2011 by Barton Seaver, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.