Canned Anchovies

Name: Canned anchovies — small, silvery fish (mainly the European anchovy, Engraulis encrasicolus) that are salt-cured, then packed in olive oil or salt in tins or jars. They are sold as fillets, rolled around a caper, or as paste, and have an intense, salty, savoury flavour.

Description

Anchovies have been salted and used as a seasoning in the Mediterranean since Roman times, when they were fermented into the sauce garum. Today they are cured mostly in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with famous types from Cantabria, Spain, and the town of Collioure in France, and they are an ingredient in Caesar dressing, Worcestershire sauce and Thai and Vietnamese fish sauces.

The fish are cleaned, layered in salt for several months to mature, and then filleted and packed. The curing turns the flesh deep brown-red and softens it, and gives it a rich umami flavour. They are used more as a seasoning than as a main dish, since a little goes a long way.

Main nutrition value

Anchovies provide the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA, vitamin B12, selenium, niacin and, because the bones are soft and edible, calcium, but are very high in salt.

How best to be consumed

Canned anchovies are a seasoning, used in small amounts.

1. Melt a few fillets into hot oil with garlic at the start of cooking, where they dissolve and add depth rather than a fishy taste.
2. Add to pasta sauces such as puttanesca, to pizza, salads, dressings and tapenade.
3. Serve on buttered toast with lemon and parsley, or with boiled eggs.
4. Rinse or soak in milk to reduce the saltiness, if they are too strong.
5. Keep unopened cans in a cool, dry place, and once opened transfer any leftovers to a covered container in the fridge and use within two days.

Overconsumption could cause…

Anchovies are healthy in the small amounts they are used, and the main concern is salt.

1. High salt (sodium), which can raise blood pressure over time, so choose no-added-salt or low-sodium cans where you can and rinse before eating.
2. Fish allergy, which can be severe and is usually lifelong, so anyone allergic must avoid fish and check labels, including fish in sauces and dressings.
3. Scombroid (histamine) poisoning, causing flushing, headache, rash and stomach upset within minutes to hours, from fish that were stored too warm before canning or in the fridge once opened, so keep opened cans cold and use quickly.
4. Purines, which matter for people with gout, in larger servings.

GroupsCanned FishFinfishHigh proteinHigh sodiumRich in ironRich in omega-3Rich in seleniumRich in vitamin B12Rich in vitamin DCanned

Made fromAnchovies

Related foodsCanned SardinesCanned MackerelCanned SalmonCanned TunaCanned HerringCanned Trout

Wikipedia — Anchovy, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchovy