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English Anchovies

A preserved fish product made by layering sprats with salt, saltpetre, prunella, and cochineal, then curing for six months.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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English Anchovies

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Pound the sprats in a mortar.

Layer and cure

  1. Layer the sprats and the salt mixture in a stone pan or empty anchor barrel.

  2. Start with a layer of sprats, then a layer of the salt mixture, and repeat until filled.

  3. Press down tightly and let them sit for six months.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Sprats
The main fish, providing the flesh that cures into the finished anchovies.
Salt
Draws moisture out of the fish and slows spoilage during the long cure.
Saltpetre
A curing agent that helps preserve the fish and keep its color during curing.
Cochineal
Adds red coloring to the finished fish.

The step that matters

Layering and pressing the sprats. Salt must reach every layer evenly, and pressing down removes air pockets. Uneven salting or trapped air can let the fish spoil during the six-month cure.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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