About the cannery
Papa Anzóis tinned fish is different. Its sardines, mackerel and horse mackerel are dehydrated rather than steamed before they are canned, resulting in juicier, softer-textured fish with more omega-3 oils and nutrients. Papa Anzóis is produced by the only certified "by-hand" cannery in mainland Portugal. The fish is caught sustainably off the Algarve coast and is complemented with high quality olive oils, lemons and peppers that are also grown nearby.
Papa Anzóis is canned in the Algarve, in south Portugal. The Algarve is divided into two zones - the east (Sotavento) and the west (Barlavento) where Conserveira do Arade, the cannery that produces Papa Anzóis, is situated.
For more than a hundred years this area was one of Portugal's major canning hubs, reaching its peak in the 1960s and 70s when the banks of the river Arade were home to 23 canneries. The economy there centred on canning, with 20,000 workers employed in the canneries, and more in satellite industries: the fishermen, those working in olive oil and paprika production and in the metal work industry. In the early 1980s tourism usurped canning. This, coupled with new stricter fishing quotas, meant that by 1994, with investors more interested in ploughing money into hotels, the river Arade's 23 canneries no longer existed, and only two remained in the eastern Algarve. That changed in 2015, when friends Manuel Mendes and Vincent Jonckheere founded Conserveira do Arade, the cannery behind Papa Anzóis. The idea of reviving the area's rich canning heritage was sparked in 2012 when Vincent visited Portimao's meticulously restored Hermanos Feu cannery (the original producers of La Rose tinned fish). Papa Anzóis launched in April 2021. Manuel and Vincent's aim was to put a different spin on Portuguese tinned fish.
Papa Anzóis canned sardines, mackerel and horse mackerel are not pre-cooked; the fish is dehydrated instead. The dehydration process takes around 20 hours, and replaces the steaming (and sometimes deep-frying) that other canneries use. This means that Papa Anzóis tinned fish is juicier and softer textured. It means more omega 3 oils and nutrients are retained and the skin is less prone to damage. The cannery that produces Papa Anzóis is the only certified artisanal cannery in mainland Portugal because it has less than 12 employees and the product is canned entirely by hand, apart from where machines are absolutely necessary such as for sealing the tins.
The sardines are fished seasonally and to quota between May and November. Because Papa Anzóis work with small batches of fish they do not need large quantities of olive oil, lemons and peppers to complement the fish. This means that 100% of ingredients are sourced locally. In fact, the recipes are determined by what is available close by. A sustainable way round of doing things. The mackerel and horse mackerel are fished throughout the year, and like the sardines are fished purse seine. This allows smaller fish to swim free and avoids damage to the sea bed. The cannery also cans octopus in olive oil, cod and cod cheeks.
Papa Anzóis is the name of an infamous rock formation off the Algarve coast that drives fishermen to distraction because their fish hooks get snagged on it. It means “eater of fish hooks” (papa is Portuguese slang for eat, and anzóís means fish hooks). The name is taken from an amateur fisherman's map that fell into Manuel's and Vincent's hands via a customer. The map shows where the fishing hot spots (the rock formations where fish congregate) are along the Algarve coast. Papa Anzois is situated 10 miles from the cannery.
Serving tips
•Sardines with courgette ribbons and piquillos. Try the sardines in extra virgin olive oil on a bed of mayo with charred strips of courgette, piquillo peppers and garnish of roughly chopped pistachios.
•Mackerel salad on toast with mayo. Dice tomato and cucumber and shallot, toss with olive oil, lemon and salt and pepper. Slice a toast a baguette, spread with mayonnaise, add the salad and top with the mackerel. Drizzle some olive oil from the tin.
•Try the cod the traditional Portuguese way with chickpeas, chopped onion, a boiled egg, olives and garnished with parsley.
