These Cantabrian anchovies belong to the Engraulis Encrasicolus species, caught in the fishing grounds of the Cantabrian Sea during the spring fishing season. They are among the most flavorful and highly prized anchovies on the market.

Ingredients: Cantabrian anchovies, olive oil, and salt.

Producer: M.A. Revilla (Santoña, Cantabria).

Origin: Cantabrian Sea

Quantity: 24 anchovy fillets.

Pairing: at Made in Spain Gourmet, we recommend them in salads, on their own, or as tapas with crackers. A white wine such as Albariño pairs beautifully with them.

Nutritional information:

• Calories: 179 Kcal per 100 g
• Total fat: 10.2 g
• Saturated fat 2.2 g
• Salt 9.1 g
• Carbohydrates: 0 g
• Sugars 0 g
• Protein 9.18 g

Best before: 12 months

Keep refrigerated between 4º C and 8º C

Once opened, consume preferably within 24 hours

Great anchovies have a surname: from Santoña. And they also have a designation: from the Cantabrian Sea. Although the anchovies come from the Cantabrian Sea, in Santoña (Cantabria) they are only preserved; the true merit belongs to the sea, that magnificent Cantabrian Sea, a treasure for our gastronomy, even if it is not always fully appreciated. Three factors must be recognized as contributing to the outstanding quality of Santoña anchovies: the waters of the Cantabrian Sea and their nutritional richness, artisanal fishing, and careful preparation.

Anchovy fishing takes place during the months of March, April, and May. This is the best season for salting, when the fleet sets out in search of them and, after returning to port, the finest specimens are selected and bid on. Production takes place between March and June, when the bocarte—the fresh anchovy—is at its optimal level of fat, flavor, and texture. Then, during grading, they are separated by size, washed in brine, beheaded and gutted, and placed in barrels with salt for curing, which lasts between six and eight months. After this period, the most artisanal and delicate stage begins: hand-cleaning, or “sobado,” to remove skin and bones and obtain the large, clean fillets that will be preserved in olive oil.

The product caught off the coast of Cantabria and along the entire northern coastline is of exceptional quality—well above that of other areas of the world such as Peru, Argentina, Morocco, or even Croatia.

Santoña: the world capital of Premium Anchovies

The seafaring town of Santoña is located in western Cantabria. It is known as the birthplace of Juan de la Cosa, Christopher Columbus’s navigator on his voyages to America, for its natural treasures such as the Santoña Marshes and Berria Beach, and for its historic buildings, including the forts of San Martín, San Carlos, and Napoleón, as well as the church of Virgen del Puerto. However, when someone says its name, the response is immediate: “Bring me anchovies!” Without a doubt, this product has achieved fame beyond Spain’s borders and appears on the menus of the finest restaurants around the world. Not a single visitor leaves Santoña without taking anchovies back home—but how are they made and sent from Santoña to the rest of the world if we are not visiting this seafaring town?

In the 19th century, when salted fish was scarce in southern Italy, a group of Sicilian adventurers arrived in Santoña and some decided to stay, creating the main canning industry in northern Spain. They brought with them a new technique: salting, focused mainly on preparing “bocarte,” as anchovy is known at origin. The method consisted of removing the heads from the anchovies, placing them in barrels with salt, and leaving them pressed for four to six months, a process known as maturation.

Anchovy production process

Selection

Upon arrival at port, the freshest fish and the most suitable size are selected, then purchased at the fish market auctions.

Quality

When the fish arrives at the factory, it undergoes quality control. If it passes, it is salted in suitable containers to achieve rapid dehydration and bleeding.

“Alla vera carne”

Once salted, the fish is beheaded and gutted, then arranged as quickly as possible inside plastic barrels in alternating layers of fish and sea salt from saltworks. It can also be pressed in salting tins with just the right amount of salt, a method known as “Alla vera carne”.

Transformation

When the salted anchovy has reached the ideal degree of maturation and the appropriate organoleptic characteristics (texture, aroma, pink color, and flavor), it is transformed into anchovy fillets. This key decision in the process is made by the master salter.

Blanching, trimming, and dehydration

The skin is removed by blanching the fish, and the belly section and tail are trimmed. The anchovy is then dehydrated by centrifugation or with cloths to achieve the correct moisture level.

Filleting

In this process, the anchovy is manually separated into its two muscular parts along the backbone, producing two fillets. The small bones, as well as any possible skin remnants, are removed, and the fillets are carefully and neatly packed.