Outside the Mediterranean countries the anchovy is basically known, with its version in pot or in a can or in oil. Which comes from the fresh fish with the same name. This product is not really a preserve as it has a much lower shelf life than traditional preserves.
For this reason, in some places they are kept in the refrigerator, the essential reason is that when coming from a fresh fish that is cured with salt over time, this salt appears in the product and becomes brine, which even though it cannot produce any type of damage, they become inedible due to their strong salt flavour. All the cans and bottles that are for sale are perfectly preserved due to the rotation of the product.
The lesser-known version of the anchovy is the one sold directly dried in salt and that for consumption you just have to open them, clean them under running water and put them in a dish covered with oil, which can be olive or seed.
There are people who previously let them soak for 30 minutes in water so that they are not so salty. Subsequently they are immersed in oil as we have explained in previous paragraphs. In any case, the shopkeepers in our market will advise you and indicate the different qualities and ways of eating anchovies.
