Anchovy fillets in olive oil
The adventure of the search for the De la Cueva anchovy begins in the Santanderian town of Santoña where we select, among the more than 40 existing artisanal producers, who could make us some large anchovies, with a firm texture, a balanced point of salt, aftertaste nice and very clean of thorns.
Santoña is a small fishing village located on the north coast of Spain that has now become a mecca for quality anchovies.
The artisan production of anchovies began to develop in Santoña at the end of the XNUMXth century. When some producers from Sicily moved to this town in search of raw material for their salted fish.
The Italian salters discovered an anchovy, which, due to the characteristics of the area, was of exceptional quality and some of them decided to settle in this town, importing Italian salting techniques for the production of anchovies.
The factors that determine the quality of Anchovies De la Cueva are:
The Selection Of The Raw Material
Among the great variety of anchovy species existing throughout the planet, Engraulis encrasicolus is the one that, due to its characteristics, is ideal for producing anchovies of the highest quality.
De la Cueva anchovies come from Engraulis encrasicolus anchovies caught in the FAO 27 VIIIC zone, that is, on the Cantabrian Coast, between the months of April and June; period in which the anchovies are going to spawn and have an ideal meat quality for salting.
It is important to distinguish between anchovies from spring fishing and those from "return" fishing, in summer, since the latter, although larger in size, are much fattier and do not reach the level of taste quality of the former.
Our anchovy supplier buys the raw material at the Santoña fish market, where the fishing boats come daily with their catches.
At the fish market, the anchovies are classified according to their size, identified by the number of pieces in a kilo.
Some large anchovies must start from a raw material of 28 grains, that is, there are 28 pieces in a kilo.
Headless and Salted
As soon as the raw material arrives from the fish market at the anchovy processing facilities, it is salted and put in brine.
Subsequently, the fish is decapitated and eviscerated and placed inside barrels in layers covered with salt. Weights are usually placed on top of the barrels to press the fish and facilitate its dehydration and degreasing.
There is a first period of more accelerated curing of the anchovy that lasts between 3 and 4 months in which the fish is kept at room temperature.
When it is appreciated that the meat has changed texture and color, the barrels are stored in cold chambers to slow down the curing process.
The raw material will be controlled periodically until the bocarte becomes anchovy and is at its optimum point.
The total maturation period is usually around a year.
The Sobado, Desalted And Drained
When the anchovy is ripe, it is removed from the barrel and the first thing to do is remove the scales with a fisherman's net. This process is known as “hand rubbed” the anchovy. It is a very laborious job because you have to clean all the pieces one by one.
Then we proceed to cut the tail and the gut of the anchovy. It is normal to find the fish roe in this process, which confirms that the fishing has been "spring".
The roe gives the anchovy an Umami flavor in the maturation process. That is why spring fishing is so highly valued.
Once the anchovy is kneaded and trimmed, it is desalted by putting the fish in water. It is important to control the time the anchovy is immersed in water to achieve a balance in the salt point.
The anchovies are drained by wrapping them in rags to remove excess water before proceeding to cleaning. If this process is not done correctly and the anchovy is left wet, it will have a too soft texture and can develop flavors inside the can.
Filleting, Cleaning and Packaging
The filleting and cleaning process is perhaps the most critical when it comes to differentiating in quality. Here the human factor is essential.
Normally, this work is carried out by women with great experience and skill, who not only clean the anchovies, but also classify them according to their quality and size.
Equipped with a small knife and scissors, the Santoña filleting machines carefully remove the bones and shape the fillet until a uniform silhouette is achieved.
De la Cueva anchovies are packed in tins with a very mild olive oil to prevent the anchovies from becoming bitter or acquiring too much oil flavor.
Know the opinions of our clients
Manuel CigesDecember 20, 2021.Excellent quality products. A package that cannot be missed at home: anchovy fillets from the Cantabrian Sea, Turrón de Jijona, extra virgin olive oil from the mountains of Alicante, artichoke hearts from Navarra, dressed gordal olives from Andalusia and piparras.
Carlos JuradoDecember 16, 2021.I have bought two Christmas batches and the presentation is excellent, the products are of a very high quality level, and the order arrived at home in a couple of days. Recommendable.
Joseph Vincent GarridoDecember 3, 2021.excellent 👌
Francisco Lopez OrdonezDecember 2, 2021.Difficult to highlight a single product from the set that it sells. Great value for the price.
Jorge Vaya UtielDecember 2, 2021.All products of spectacular quality. I recommend it 100%
JOSE WARRIORDecember 2, 2021.Unbeatable product quality.
Juanma SierraDecember 1, 2021.I bought a batch of gourmed products, and everything was up to par. I recommend the anchovies, exquisite and without a single scrape. Recommended 100
Mila CernudaDecember 1, 2021.Excellent quality of products. The presentation of the lots is great to give away.
David A. RuedaDecember 1, 2021.Products of excellent quality. It is noted that they carefully select the products and the artisan producers. Their lots, or as they call them, their gastronomic treasures are ideal as a premium gift.
Claudio CrespoDecember 1, 2021.the best artichokes