These Anchovies Are So Good, You'll Want to Eat Them Straight From the Tin

I've never met an anchovy I didn't like, and I've eaten—and prepped—more than my share of great ones over the years. I spent years assuming that I'd already had the best of the best, that I'd seen and tasted every salty little fish there is to see and taste. Then, about a year ago, I went to dinner with my wife at a Brooklyn restaurant called Fradei, where we were served a plate of the biggest, plumpest, fattest, fruitiest, most delicious anchovies I'd ever had. The waiter told me they were Cantabrian anchovies from Spain, and I had a new mission: Find them.

I've been on the hunt ever since, looking high and low for anchovies so phenomenal you wouldn't dare put them on pizza. So exemplary, you'll question whether the only way to eat them is by themselves, held between two fingers and dangling over your expectant mouth. I've bought Cantabrian anchovies that were perfectly fine, but not the exceptional ones I was seeking. And now, I've found a brand sold in small enough units that you won’t have to spend more than $100 to try (many Cantabrian anchovies are sold primarily to restaurants in bulk, which puts them out of reach for most retail shoppers). These beauties are the closest to what I ate at Fradei. In addition, I'm offering two other suggestions: one is a Sicilian anchovy that is delicious in a very different way, and the other is a less expensive Cantabrian option that has similarities to my top Cantabrian pick at a lower price. I loved all three brands, as did several Serious Eats colleagues I shared them with in an informal tasting.

I should be upfront: These are expensive anchovies. Their prices make them most appropriate for special occasions—or totally unspecial occasions if your pockets run deep.

Top Pick: Calvisius Cantabrian Anchovies

These Spanish anchovies from Calvisius were the closest to the ones I ate at Fradei, and they are a different anchovy experience from almost any anchovy most folks have likely had. The fillets are huge, plump, tender, and brightly colored—more pink than brownish-gray. They have a notable, lingering freshness of flavor and an almost fruity sweetness that doesn't taste like they've been packed in salt for weeks. You don't get many in a tin, so this is definitely a splurge-level anchovy.

A Sicilian Alternative Worthy of Attention: Testa Sicilian Anchovy Fillets

These Sicilian anchovies are sold by Gustiamo, one of the best importers of top Italian food products. While they're pricey, you get a good number of fillets packed into a small jar, which means you can eat these on their own, use them whole in dishes like Niçoise salads, or even cook them into flavor bases (though you may understandably want to reach for a more affordable anchovy for that). These anchovies have a firmer texture and a more classic salty-briny flavor, with a hint of oil-cured black olive's earthy fruitiness.

A Cantabrian Backup: Donostia Cantabrian Anchovies

If you want to sample a very tasty Cantabrian anchovy that isn't quite as premium as Calvisius, but still has some of that freshness and sweetness, this option from Donostia is a good pick. They land somewhere in flavor and texture between the Sicilian Testa anchovies and the crème de la crème of the Calvisius, a happy sweet spot that several Serious Eats tasters picked as their favorite.