Canned anchovies are a valuable cooking tool—they immediately add salt and umami to any dish you make. Dressing, pastas, condiments, and sauces—they’re all better with anchovies. But it doesn’t end there. The best anchovies are so good you can eat them on buttered bread—or straight out of the can like you’re a cartoon junkyard cat.
Canned and jarred anchovies vary, but we looked for a strong balance of salt, oil, and fishiness. Some of the anchovies we tried were far too salty, which can be valuable for cooking, but limits their usage as a topping. A good quality anchovy doesn’t have a distracting number of bones in it, either; it’s just a big, meaty filet of fish with a lot of umami, packed in high-quality olive oil.
In our most recent anchovy taste test, we also searched for the best anchovy paste, the best white anchovies, and the best Cantabrian anchovies. And we came away with a new number one best anchovy brand to rule them all. Here are all the best anchovies for your fishy fiending.
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- Crown Prince Anchovy Paste
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I was unaware that anchovy paste was a thing before our most recent anchovy taste test, but now I’m a total anchovy paste evangelist. It’s so easy to cook with and it instantly adds delicious umami and depth of flavor. And this is by far the best anchovy paste to buy. It’s super rich and creamy and savory. Keep a tube of this stuff in your fridge for an instant shortcut to umami town (that’s the sister city of Flavortown). — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / iHerb
- Agostino Recca Fillets of Anchovies in Olive Oil with Hot Peppers
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These jarred anchovies have a harsh, harsh pepper flavor that I actually quite like. The blend of salt and spice really works to create a bold flavor, and the olive oil tastes deliciously opulent. With all these wonderfully assertive flavors, I think these are some of the best anchovies to eat on a pizza or a baguette, but throw a few of these on a caesar salad if you want to get fun and funky. But I believe these are best enjoyed whole, as part of some sort of appetizer or charcuterie board. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Patagonia Lemon Olive Spanish White Anchovies
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I had to keep checking the package to make sure I was, in fact, eating anchovies and not sardines. These canned anchovies are not salted anchovy fillets like the other canned anchovies on this list. These anchovies are plump and meaty and meant to be eaten on their own. The meat is rich and tangy. The texture is heartier than a sardine. These are the best white anchovies to enjoy in a sandwich. We tried a few of Patagonia’s white anchovies, but the lemon is the best. That extra bit of tartness helps balance out any fishiness. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Cento Flat Fillet Anchovies
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I keep these anchovies stocked in my cupboard for one reason: pasta. Cento is the best anchovy brand for adding flavor to all manner of pasta dishes. They come packed in olive oil, and they’re salty and meaty. They kind of dissolve in your mouth too, in a way. The texture is just wonderful. There’s a lot of salt here, but not too much. I chop these up and put them in a pasta puttanesca, or a funky red sauce, or hell, I sometimes even put a few anchovies in my pesto or gremolata. This is a great way to infuse any dish with a salty blast of umami. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Wild Planet Wild White Anchovies in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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Wild Planet, which sounds like the name of a Jurassic Park sequel, is a really good product. These big, meaty anchovies contain far less salt than the others (370 mg per 85 grams). They look like sardines, they’re so damn big. While these are white anchovies, they aren’t “Spanish” in the way you’d expect. You don’t get any tartness from vinegar, but you do get a wonderfully rich, luscious, decadent can of meaty anchovies packed in olive oil. They have a clean taste, and are far less salty than your average can of ‘choves. These are very much like canned sardines; the difference is almost negligible. If you like sardines and are looking to work your way into the world of anchovies, these are the best anchovies for the job. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Matis Boquerones White Anchovies in White Wine Vinegar & Sunflower Oil
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These aren’t just anchovies—they’re marinated white anchovies, aka boquerones. And I love ‘em. They’re so, so tangy and pickle-y and bright with firm meat. If you’re making a tapas platter, these are the best white anchovies to snag and serve drizzled with a little bit of olive oil, next to your pan con tomate. But they’d also be awesome on a caesar salad if standard canned anchovies are too salty or fishy for you. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Siesta Co Cantabrian Anchovies in Olive Oil
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Siesta is one of the newest, hippest canned fish brands to hit Los Angeles. And these anchovies prove it’s not just because they have good marketing. These are some of the best Cantabrian anchovies we tasted (Cantabria is a region in Spain known for producing some of the best anchovies in the world). These anchovies are less pungent than many of the others on this list. They’re still very flavorful, of course, but more deeply savory and umami-rich than straight up salty. They almost taste like aged soy sauce. And the texture is fleshier and meatier than other canned anchovies. This is the best brand of anchovies to feature in a tapas-style feast. Don’t cook with them—you might not be able to appreciate their nuanced flavor. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Siesta
- Ortiz Jarred Anchovies
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I love what Ortiz has done with these anchovies. First of all, there is quite obviously a lower amount of sodium here (760 mg per serving, to be exact) compared to the other saltier brands. So you don’t get so much of that aggressive hit of salinity that we’ve come to expect from canned anchovies. Secondly, these come packed in delicious olive oil, which is much more flavorful than the neutral oils some other brands of anchovies come packed in. Olive oil adds a beautiful richness to the anchovy—it doubles down on the umami and ups the flavor considerably. Overall, you get a more pure anchovy experience with Ortiz. It’s fishy, but not in a bad way. The olive oil and lower salt content help accentuate that natural anchovy flavor. These are pricy, but great for fancier meals. Until our most recent taste test, we had this as the best anchovies to buy. They may have been dethroned, but they’re still damn good. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Delicius Cantabrico Anchovy Fillets in Olive Oil
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These are my new favorite canned anchovies. These fillets are massive. They’re so long! They’re very salty (though not painfully so) and they have an incredible, silky texture that you can really sink your teeth into. You get a lot in a can, making them the best anchovies for real anchovy freaks like myself who go through those tiny cans in one sitting. And if you don’t trust me, trust chef Tom Colicchio. I spotted these canned anchovies in a picture in his new book. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Whole Foods
- Fishwife Anchovies in Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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Fishwife makes some of the best tinned seafood right now (and puts it in some of the best packaging) and these canned anchovies are no exception. In fact, this is one of the best Fishwife products you can buy. Like so many of the best anchovies, these are Cantabrian anchovies. And, like the other Cantabrian anchovies on this list, they have a firm texture with a complex flavor. They are really bright and zippy and salty and fishy and oceanic. They have this acidity that’s unlike any of the other anchovies we tried. They make you salivate. They’re so intense you need to have them with butter on bread or cooked into a sauce or in a salad (don’t try to eat them straight out of the can with no accompaniments like I did for this taste test). These are the best canned anchovies you can buy for pretty much any reason. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Fishwife
Best Anchovy Paste
Best Spicy
Best Meaty
Best for Cooking
Best Not Salty
Best White Anchovies
Best Tapas
Best Jarred Anchovies
Best Very Long
Best of the Best
Other anchovies we tried: Roland, Crown Prince, Kroger, Agostino Recca in Oil, Bellino, Merro, Patagonia Roasted Garlic Spanish White Anchovies, Polar Flat Fillets Anchovies, Amore Anchovy Paste, Rustichella D’Abruzzo Anchovies
