Anchovy fillets in oil, Sestri Levante 250g (jar)

These fillets of italian anchovies in oil are of superior quality, they have nothing to envy to the best anchovies from the Cantabrian Sea. They are produced by one of the last remaining artisanal anchovy factories in Italy, and for the owner, Michele Senno, fish has been a family affair ever since he went to help his grandfather return from fishing as a child.

The anchovies of 'L'Anciua' are extraordinarily meaty for being Italian: the fish from our country, growing in a warmer sea, are smaller in size than those from the Atlantic Ocean (such as the Cantabrian anchovies), but the care Michele takes in cleaning and filleting the fish by hand allows the end result to be fillets in which there is almost no waste compared to fresh anchovies. Hand-cleaning allows only one kilo of fish to be processed per hour when an industry can process up to one hundred kilos: in the case of 'L'Anciua', this is therefore practically a production of limited edition jars of anchovies.

The excellence of the anchovies in oil starts with Michele's selection of the best raw material, which he buys from the fishermen arriving at the port of Sestri Levante. Michele does not use a drier, which would speed up the process but would risk ruining the flesh of the anchovies, so he prefers to process them at a low temperature so that in the end the flavour of the fillets is only of the sea and not of salt.

These Italian anchovies in oil are best enjoyed uncooked and whole to fully appreciate the superior quality and can be served with bread croutons and butter.