Ortiz Anchovies in Olive Oil

Ortiz buys its anchovies at the auctions on Spain's north coast and cans them the same day. The fish sit in barrels of salt for six to twelve months, then are washed, trimmed and filleted one at a time by hand. They are fleshy and firm, with the deep savoury umami that makes anchovy a seasoning as much as a fish.

The anchovy here is Engraulis encrasicolus, taken from the Cantabrian Sea in April and May when the fish have reached the size Ortiz wants. The boats work a purse seine, a selective net that brings up little else.

Curing is the slow part. Ortiz holds the salted fish in barrels for at least six months, longer for the bigger ones, and only then does the filleting begin. Every fillet is trimmed and lifted off the bone by hand before it goes into the tin with olive oil.

The family has worked this coast since 1891 and still buys at the daily auctions, canning what it lands that same day. In the kitchen, lay a fillet on warm bread with butter or melt one into a tomato sauce. Two dropped into a braise disappear and make everything else taste better.