Anxoves
Cured anchovies, packed in salt or olive oil. The two great Spanish traditions are anxoves de l'Escala (Catalan) and anchoas del Cantábrico (Basque/Cantabrian).
Anxoves (Catalan), anchoas (Castilian) are anchovies cured in salt or olive oil and eaten by the fillet, usually on a slice of bread, often with butter. Spain has two famous traditions. The Catalan version, anxoves de l'Escala (from the small Empordà fishing town of L'Escala), uses fish caught in the Gulf of Lion and cured for at least six months in marble vats. The Cantabrian version, anchoas del Cantábrico, from the Basque-Cantabrian coast around Santoña, uses larger fish caught in spring and is the most internationally known. Both are sold by the tin; the best are firm, mahogany-coloured, slightly salty, and barely meaty.
How it's served
By the fillet, draped over a slice of bread with butter or pa amb tomàquet, or layered onto a pintxo with a guindilla pepper. Best eaten at room temperature and with minimal accompaniment; the fish should taste like itself.
Regional variation
Anxoves de l'Escala (Empordà) are smaller, more delicate and cured in marble vats; the local fishing season runs late spring through summer. Anchoas del Cantábrico are larger, fattier and more famous internationally; the Santoña producers age them for at least nine months. Connoisseurs argue over which is better; the answer is whichever one is in front of you.
- Origin
- L'Escala (Empordà coast) and the Cantabrian sea
- Etymology
- Anxoves is the Catalan; anchoa the Castilian; both from Old Iberian via Greek aphye.
- Also called
- anchoas, boquerones en salazón
Where to try it in Barcelona
5 restaurants on Guidavera mention anxoves in their kitchen description.
Frequently asked
What's the difference between anxoves de l'Escala and Cantabrian anchovies?
Anxoves de l'Escala come from the Catalan town of L'Escala on the Empordà coast, are smaller and cured in marble vats. Anchoas del Cantábrico come from the Basque-Cantabrian coast around Santoña, are larger, fattier, and aged longer. Different fish, different curing, both excellent.
How do you eat Spanish cured anchovies?
Simply. By the fillet on a slice of bread with butter (Basque style), draped over pa amb tomàquet (Catalan style), or built into a pintxo with a guindilla pepper and an olive (the Gilda, a classic). The fish should be at room temperature, not cold; chilling mutes the flavour.
Are cured anchovies salty?
Yes, but the good ones less than you'd expect. A high-grade cured anchovy is firm, mahogany-brown, and lightly salted enough to taste of the fish itself rather than the salt. Cheap industrial anchovies often taste mostly of salt; quality producers (Codesa in Cantabria, Callol Serrats in L'Escala) age more slowly to soften the cure.
Related terms
- Pa amb tomàquetCatalan bread rubbed with garlic and ripe tomato, finished with olive oil and salt. Comes with almost every meal.
- PintxoBasque equivalent of a tapa: a single bite, often skewered with a toothpick onto a slice of bread, displayed on the bar for self-service.
- FinoDry, pale, bone-dry sherry aged under a protective layer of yeast called flor. The lightest end of the sherry family.
- VermutAromatized fortified wine. In Barcelona it doubles as a midday social ritual: a glass of vermouth on tap, an olive, a snack, around noon.
- BoqueronesFresh anchovies in two classic Spanish preparations: white in vinegar (boquerones en vinagre) or whole and deep-fried (boquerones fritos). Different fish from cured anchoas.
- GildaBasque pintxo skewered with a cured anchovy, a green guindilla pepper and a Manzanilla olive. The original San Sebastián pintxo, named after the Rita Hayworth film.