Fresh anchovies are an oily fish that look and taste similar to sardines. They vary in size and can be bought either fresh or cured. Cured anchovies were originally left whole and packed in salt, but now they tend to be boned, cleaned and preserved in salt or oil and sold in cans or jars.
Norwegian fish pie
Salade Niçoise
Summer vegetable soup with mussels
Salade Niçoise
Sage and parmesan palmiers
Chicken nuggets with smoked paprika and anchovy mayo
Piedmontese peppers
Panzanella
Corn on the cob with burnt-onion ketchup
Simple layered salad
Jalapeño and anchovy ketchup
Fresh anchovies don't travel well so are best eaten in the Mediterranean. They're not easy to find in the UK because there isn’t a great demand for them, but try Italian or Spanish delis. Otherwise buy them cured or preserved - supermarkets do a limited range but delis tend to sell a wider range.
Anchovies that are packed in oil need to be drained before use. You may want to soak the salted variety in milk for a while to get rid of any excess saltiness.
Use anchovies to make anchovy butter to serve with fish, anchovy toast, tapenade or the Italian bagna cauda – a mixture of butter or olive oil, garlic, basil and anchovy fillets mashed into a sauce and served hot with vegetables as a type of fondue. Anchovies have an affinity with red meat and also form the basis of condiments such as anchovy essence, Worcestershire sauce, Asian fish sauce and Patum Peperium.
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