# Why are anchovies so salty? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 9, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286 "2010-01-09T16:56:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/1 "2010-01-09T16:56:43Z")
Obviously, because they’re cured in massive amounts of salt. That tends to make things salty. But _why_ are they preserved that way? (Not that there’s anything wrong with it – I’ve just had some right out of the tin for breakfast.) Why no smoked anchovies? Why no anchovies preserved like your typical sardines? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/2 "2010-01-09T17:01:31Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Why no smoked anchovies? You can get smoked anchovies. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/3 "2010-01-09T17:18:07Z")
I’ve never seen them here. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/4 "2010-01-09T17:21:51Z")
WAG, but maybe size has something to do with it Anchovies are small, so there’s no much meat on them. It would be pretty inefficient to get a bunch of them together, debone them, and serve the meat. By salting them, it ensures that people can use them for flavor instead of the nearly non-existent meat. In many asian grocery stores I go to, they sell tiny fish and shrimp, only a centimeter or two in length, in large jars that are salt cured. You’re not supposed to eat them as is, but it is a popular ingredient in cooking to use as flavoring for other foods. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/5 "2010-01-09T17:31:23Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Anchovies are small, so there’s no much meat on them. It would be pretty inefficient to get a bunch of them together, debone them, and serve the meat. By salting them, it ensures that people can use them for flavor instead of the nearly non-existent meat. Anchovies (at least, as sold in the U.S.) are largely de-boned, and are filleted. What you get is ‘all meat’. Compare that to sardines, which are larger. ISTM they just chop off the heads and fins and that’s it. (I’m not sure if they’re gutted.) Some smoked sprats I have in the cupboard still have the tails on. You eat the bones, which is why they’re a good source of calcium. Anchovy fillets have fewer bones. As for flavouring, yes. They’re used for Caesar dressing and Worcestershire sauce. But also as a pizza topping, or a fillet on to of Wienerschnitzel, or eaten on a cracker. So why not prepare them in other ways? ---
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/6 "2010-01-09T17:49:46Z")
Below is a link to an article about with some alternative methods of preserving them. It seems the answer as to why is that time is critical. [http://www.lifeinitaly.com/food/anchovies.asp](http://www.lifeinitaly.com/food/anchovies.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/7 "2010-01-09T19:25:42Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’ve never seen them here. To be honest I’ve only ever seen them preserved that way in a very high end deli - ridiculous food porn second mortgage high end. I get cravings sometimes for anchovies and am perfectly content to munch them straight from the jar or tin. I probably have some sort of underlying nutrient deficiency. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/8 "2010-01-09T19:29:38Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > You can get smoked anchovies. Smoke me a kipper — I’ll be back for breakfast! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/9 "2010-01-09T19:31:18Z")
Hiya, Ace. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/10 "2010-01-09T19:35:22Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Smoke me a kipper — I’ll be back for breakfast! Ace! Edit: Gah! Beaten by Mr L.A.☹ ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/11 "2010-01-09T20:12:31Z")
I eat them right out of the tin as well; however, I do rinse them for a bit and then pat the water out to get rid of as much of that oil as I can. I’ve always got several tins around and a couple of tubes of anchovy paste. Smoked anchovies? I suppose you could do better than that! ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/12 "2010-01-09T21:17:55Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Anchovies (at least, as sold in the U.S.) are largely de-boned, and are filleted. What you get is ‘all meat’. Compare that to sardines, which are larger. ISTM they just chop off the heads and fins and that’s it. (I’m not sure if they’re gutted.) Some smoked sprats I have in the cupboard still have the tails on. You eat the bones, which is why they’re a good source of calcium. Anchovy fillets have fewer bones. That’s odd. Every anchovy can I’ve bought still has the little bones in it, making it almost inedible. Guess I need to buy better cans ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/13 "2010-01-09T21:21:39Z")
Oh, they all have bones in them. But they’re edible. ---
**Author:** ![WhyWhyWhy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whywhywhy/32/7539_2.png) [@WhyWhyWhy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyWhyWhy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-anchovies-so-salty/524286/14 "2010-01-11T06:44:29Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > ISTM they just chop off the heads and fins and that’s it. (I’m not sure if they’re gutted.) I’ll add that to the list of things I wish I could unread.