Anchovies are small, slender, silvery fish belonging to the Engraulidae family, ranging from 5 to 15 centimetres in length. They are found in the Mediterranean as in the Atlantic, close to the coasts and in estuaries. Ours come from the Cantabrian Sea. They are also known for their high sodium content, which often makes them very salty, indeed too salty.
Hugely popular in cooking, they are used mainly in Mediterranean recipes such as tapenade, salads, pissaladières or tapas. They can also be used to make chutneys, sauces or butters, blended with vegetables and herbs to bring briny, savoury notes. They are a staple of today’s cooking.
Choosing good anchovies
To choose quality anchovies, inspect them carefully. Check that the colour is even and the flesh firm and glossy. Anchovies should smell fresh and of the sea. Avoid any with a strong smell, or that are soft or dried out.
In shops, you will find them fresh or preserved in oil.
Maison DEHESA anchovies: all the aromatic power of the anchovy, without the harshness of salt
Maison DEHESA reinvents anchovies in the manner of bottarga to restore their original taste and texture. Our anchovies come from the port of Santoña, in Cantabria, a port famous for the size of the anchovies landed there.
The anchovies are then elevated by a unique craft. To capture the freshness of the fish as fully as possible, they are selected, headed and tailed within two hours of the catch. Boned with tweezers, they lose the salt crystals that gather in the bones during salting.
Tinned anchovies are often mealy in texture and very salty in taste. Maison DEHESA set out to reinvent the anchovy, offering a buttery texture and delicate notes of salt and walnut, thanks to an ageing of at least six months, which can extend to two years.
Our anchovies are enjoyed at room temperature, to reveal the full aromatic complexity of an exceptional fish now making a strong comeback in the new gastronomy.
