Anchovy

Among the most transformative ingredients in the kitchen, anchovies are small, oily fish of the family Engraulidae, salt-cured and packed in oil in a process that concentrates their flavour into something far beyond the raw fish. The Cantabrian anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) from Spain's northern coast is considered the finest in the world, commanding prices that rival luxury products. Mediterranean anchovies from Cetara, Campania and Monterosso, Liguria are Italy's most celebrated. Moroccan and Portuguese anchovies supply the mass market. The curing process takes months: fresh anchovies are layered in salt, pressed, matured, then hand-filleted and packed in olive oil. The result is used as a flavour base across Mediterranean cooking, dissolved into sauces, melted into butter, or served straight from the tin on buttered bread.