First For Everything: #8 Anchovies

If you look back at my previous FFE posts (First For Everything; it'll become a renowned acronym one day, trust me) I've been dabbling in the creatures of the deep. I don't know why I have avoided them for this long, whether due to unfamiliarity or a squeamish attitude to seafood, but so far my foray has been going well. As such I was more than happy to dive into another one: anchovies.
These small little fish are known worldwide as the little things in tins that you can order on pizza but no-one ever does. When they have been caught 99% of the time they are beheaded, gutted and packed in brine until they have been suitably cured; it's rare to find these fresh anywhere short of the port they come into. Once they have experienced their fair share of salt anchovies are tinned in olive oil (usually) and sent to shops everywhere.

They're so small that the bones aren't even removed. You can eat them as they are.

I had never tried an anchovy before but I knew one thing; they are notoriously strong. Naturally I took this to mean that they were unequivocally fishy, so I braced myself as the tin was wrought open.

As it turns out anchovies packed in olive oil just smell meaty with a slight hint of ocean salt, not potently fishy or off, like that oily smell you get from an equally oily fish such as mackerel (oily, oily, oily). You also get about a table spoon of fish-infused olive oil to use at a later date.

On the tooth they are exceptionally meaty, like a hunk of gammon, and fall apart like a pork shoulder cooked for hours in it's own juices. Then a burst of umami saltiness comes through that takes you aback; that passes to leave a fatty, slightly viscous quality in the back of your throat that reminds you it's a fish. A richness in flavour not too dissimilar to the quality of good salmon, this is what I think could potentially put people off as that oil is the first thing that breaks down in off fish. However if you're partial to any tinned whole fish, such as mackerel or sardines, then these little slivers are just concentrated versions of them.

I could see them working well as the base of a pate or as the salty component in a broth (in place of salt or soy sauce for example). But for me? A single anchovy placed on top of a rectangle of buttered toast with something sweet to drink on the side for antithesis.

Not too many though; these things are SALTY!