Anchovies have a reputation for taking over a pizza, which is unfortunate publicity for such a nutritious little fish. Put them on top where everyone can see them, and someone is bound to object. Blend them into Caesar dressing, and most people don’t even know they’re there. They just love the dressing.
But anchovies deserve more attention for what they offer nutritionally, even if their public relations department has clearly been understaffed. These small fish deliver protein, omega-3 fats, and useful minerals. They also have a surprisingly long history of making other foods taste better, often without getting any credit.
Small Fish, Useful Nutrition
One ounce of drained, oil-packed anchovies provides approximately eight grams of protein, along with minerals including calcium, selenium, and iron. Their soft, edible bones contribute calcium, while the protein supplies the building materials your body uses to maintain muscle and repair tissues. The amount you get depends on your portion, of course—a couple of fillets divided among several servings contribute less than eating the whole ounce.
Selenium deserves a little attention because it supports thyroid hormone metabolism and helps protect cells from oxidative damage. Iron helps your blood carry oxygen and your muscles receive it. Neither gets the publicity of protein, but both have essential jobs behind the scenes while you walk uphill, carry groceries, or get through your day.
Anchovies also provide EPA and DHA, the marine omega-3 fats that support heart health and are important components of cell membranes. DHA is particularly important in the brain and eyes. Foods such as walnuts and flaxseeds provide a different omega-3, ALA, which the body converts to EPA and DHA only in limited amounts; fish supply those forms directly.
The SMASH Group
Anchovies are the “A” in SMASH: salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and herring. This is a handy way to remember oily fish that provide marine omega-3s, rather than a biological family. Nobody needs to work out whether a salmon is an anchovy’s oversized cousin.
These fish also include several lower-mercury choices. Anchovies, sardines, salmon, herring, Atlantic mackerel, and Pacific chub mackerel appear on the FDA’s “Best Choices” list. The type of mackerel matters: king mackerel is high in mercury and falls into the “Choices to Avoid” category.
That Big Flavor Isn’t Just Salt
The familiar brown anchovy fillets have undergone salt-curing, which changes their texture and develops their intense flavor. Fresh anchovies are much milder, and vinegar-marinated white anchovies, called boquerones, offer another distinctly different experience. If you’ve only tried the salty fillets on pizza, you’ve met one preparation and judged the entire fish. Understandable, perhaps, but still a tough review.
Their savory depth also comes from naturally occurring glutamate, which contributes the taste called umami. It’s the same taste category you encounter in Parmesan, mushrooms, and tomatoes. That helps explain why a small amount of anchovy can deepen a sauce without making the finished dish taste obviously fishy.
Anchovy paste offers that concentrated flavor in a convenient form. It’s generally made from cured anchovies ground with oil and other ingredients, depending on the brand. Some anchovies are cured for many months before becoming paste, so that quick squeeze from a tube may have considerably more time behind it than the rest of dinner. Check the ingredients and sodium content, and remember that a little paste used for seasoning provides a smaller nutrient contribution than a serving of fish.
Anchovies Were in the Condiment Business Before Tomatoes Took Over
Here’s something I didn’t expect: anchovies were used in early British versions of ketchup. An eighteenth-century recipe preserved by Colonial Williamsburg combines them with white wine, vinegar, shallots, and spices. Before tomato ketchup became the familiar standard, the condiment had a considerably fishier résumé.
Their seasoning career goes back even further. Anchovies were among the fish used in ancient Roman fermented fish sauces, including preparations known as garum and liquamen. Using a little fish to make everything else taste better has been happening for centuries; we’ve simply developed more attractive packaging.
Today, you’ll find anchovies in puttanesca sauce, some olive tapenades, many traditional Worcestershire sauces, and bagna cauda, a warm Italian anchovy-and-garlic dip served with vegetables. You can also cook a little into tomato sauce or blend it into a lemon-and-herb dressing. When using cured anchovies, taste before adding salt—they’ve already handled part of that job.
Anyone Heard of a Sardine Fast?
Why bring up a sardine fast in an anchovy article? A sardine fast was done earlier this year in the community I participate in, and some people who couldn’t eat sardines substituted another fish from the SMASH group and participated alongside those eating sardines. In other words, sardines weren’t the only fish on the menu for that fast.
Technically, it isn’t a fast because you’re still eating, but that’s what they call it. The usual approach is to eat only canned sardines along with water or other calorie-free drinks, such as plain tea or black coffee, for several days. Plain SMASH fish provide protein and fat with virtually no carbohydrates, so eating this way can shift the body toward using more fat for fuel and producing ketones. The protein and fat can also help people feel satisfied, while the limited menu takes meal decisions out of the equation.
Many women in the fasting group lost weight, while others reported tons of energy, less brain fog, and feeling lighter, sharper, and just plain good. Those who substituted other SMASH fish reported similar results. These were their personal experiences rather than findings from a controlled study, but they caught my attention. Although, I know that a quick drop in weight can include water loss, and the fat being used for fuel can come from the food itself as well as stored body fat.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep the sardines down, and that’s where I stopped. I didn’t try any of the other fish. Anchovies agree with me, so the discussion about alternatives was interesting, although heavily salted fillets and anchovy paste aren’t interchangeable with a serving of plain fish. The preparation matters just as much as the name on the package.
Give the Little Fish Some Credit
You don’t need to make anchovies your entire menu to appreciate what they offer. They can contribute protein, marine omega-3s, and minerals as a serving of fish, or bring savory depth to a meal in smaller amounts. They’ve earned a little more consideration than being picked off a pizza and left on the edge of the plate.
But a food’s nutritional reputation is only part of the conversation. Listening to my body is central to The Awakened Body, and the sardine experiment was a fairly unmistakable reminder of why. Other women’s positive results were interesting, but my own response mattered more in deciding whether to continue. Learning about food gives us useful information; paying attention to digestion, energy, mental clarity, and how we feel after eating helps us discover how that information applies to our own bodies.