Anchovies

[j44ke]

There are some foods that you enjoy more when you are older. As in grown up. Anchovies are one of those things. This is a video from Elizabeth Minchilli's website on anchovies, and it made me hungry.

[Matthew Strongin]

Love me some anchovies. Always have, though. I'm weird like that.

[thollandpe]

Yvonne and Garrett are not so sure.

[SlowPokePete]

My anchovy experience...

As a child...hairy, dark, smelly, salty, mushy looking things in it's "one of a kind can," had a taste of it on a pizza totally awful to me, still make a funny face just thinking about it.

But then...

As an adult...my one visit to Europe had me in Spain more than 25 years ago...the anchovies I ate there were totally different and totally delicious from what I recall...but have never had the opportunity to eat them again...

Those in the video look yummy...not sure about the job of "anchovy processor," though. I wonder how well paid those "talented" women are?

SPP

[jbartmc]

Anchovies are like many things I love now but would not eat in my youth, just like oysters.

[j44ke]

]...
Those in the video look yummy...not sure about the job of "anchovy processor," though. I wonder how well paid those "talented" women are?

SPP

That's a good question.

[false_aesthetic]

Similar to mackerel, anchovies out of a can are good but not the same. I hated both until a friend introduced me to fresh ones.

Hmm. That's also how I felt about beer.... hated it until I had some Trappist stuff and then suddenly the world opened up for me.

[fastupslowdown]

I love anchovies. I cook with them occasionally but they're always better in Spain while eating tapas on vacation
It's one of the first things I'll eat while ordering tapas this March in Girona

. Go figure -Mike G

[bcm119]

Anchovies are critical for a good Puttanesca sauce. And kalamata olives.

[Mark Kelly]

Be aware that anchovies stale quite quickly once the packet is opened, the oil is little help as oil allows oxygen to permeate quite rapidly*. If your anchovies are brown, they're stale: fresh anchovies are pink.

I find it worth buying smaller packages, despite the higher per unit cost, as I can use the salty little devils before they are noticeably stale.



*In general oxygen permeation is inversely proportional to polarity, so non-polar materials like oils are quite permeable.

[guido]

I don't think I have seen a non-brown oil packed anchovie. Even the fancy high priced ones i've seen/purchased in shops are brown. Are fresh oil packed available on-line?

[SteveP]

I never liked anchovies until we ate them in Italy on the coast.
We ordered them every night while there.

Fresh from the sea is simply a different product than from a can.

They are ridiculously delicious.

The freshness and local sourcing of a lot of European foods is so different from the factory food we get in the USA
that makes all the difference I think.

[jtbadge]

Only in bagna cauda.

[guido]

A couple of the oxidized brown ones are quite yummy in a vinaigrette...

And simply dissolving several and a smashed garlic clove in a few tablespoons good butter is an amazing simple and fast pasta treatment...

[Mark Kelly]

Even the fancy high priced ones i've seen/purchased in shops are brown. Are fresh oil packed available on-line?

We have a large immigrant population here so there are lots of specialty food shops. I buy mine in a shop that specialises in mediterranean food so I can always choose pink ones.

[guido]

We have a large immigrant population here so there are lots of specialty food shops. I buy mine in a shop that specialises in mediterranean food so I can always choose pink ones.

A quest has been set... If you could post a pic of a good brand to start with would be a great head start...

[Mark Kelly]

OK, I'll take a pic of the anchovy shelf next time I'm there.

[rwsaunders]

We have a neighborhood Italian grocery store that's been around since 1929 and they carry a ton of specialty foods from the old country. I'll have to check for a jar of pink anchovies and give them a try.

[Mark Walberg]

A quest has been set... If you could post a pic of a good brand to start with would be a great head start...

By far, the best anchovies I've ever tasted used to be imported by Kermit Lynch.
Brand was PIC. No salt, not oil packed. Came in a jar with a wire bail top with a rubber gasket.
They has such flavor !
If anyone knows where to finds gems like those, let us know.
I've never found anything like them since.

[Mark Walberg]

PIC was from Saint Hilaire d'Ozilhan near Avignon.