Anchovy Fillet

Anchovy fillet is a small, cured strip of fish with a deep reddish-brown color and a firm, satiny texture. It tastes intensely salty and umami-rich, dissolving easily to season sauces, dressings, and braises. Cooks use it in Caesar dressing, bagna cauda, puttanesca, and on pizzas or in tapenade; it is typically sold oil-packed or salt-packed in tins or jars.

Salt-curing anchovies has deep roots around the Mediterranean, especially in Italy and Spain. Modern production usually cures whole fish in salt, then fillets and packs them in salt or oil for export, a practice that spread globally with canning and cold-chain logistics.