Angelachu's butterfly anchovies are the Santoña-based cannery’s most prized anchovies. They are caught in spring in the Cantabrian Sea at their leanest and best. They are then carefully hand-prepared and cured in salt for 8 to 10 months. After the anchovy fillets emerge from the curing process, they are butterflied - two fillets joined by the tail of the fish. The Angelachu cannery was founded in 1999, and is steeped in history. Josefa Angela Garcia Garay - known to everyone as Angelachu - prepared Santoña anchovies from a young age and later, in the 50s, began a salting business in the town with her husband José Losada. Inspired by her grandmother’s stories, Silvia Salgado founded the Angelachu cannery in 1999. Today Silvia runs the cannery with her brother, part of a 23-strong team that sources and prepares the fish.
Recipe tip: try these anchovy fillets on slices of buttered sourdough toast. Or skewered on a cocktail stick with a green olive and piparra pepper.
Store anchovies between 1-8°C. Keeping them in the fridge maintains their taste and texture for the shelf life specified on the tin. Anchovies can be stored on a cool, dark shelf, but ideally keep them in a fridge if you want to preserve them in their optimal condition for longer. Anchovies are only semi-preserved. This means that a harmless bacteria remains in the tin after it is sealed. This bacteria is kept at bay by the cold but in warmer temperatures it eventually softens the texture of the anchovies, interferes with their flavour and may cause the tin to swell a little. Remove the anchovies from the fridge 20 minutes before you are ready to use them to give the olive oil chance to liquefy again. After the tin is opened, anchovies must be stored in a fridge and consumed within 7 days.
Shipping. We do not ship anchovies in insulated packaging unless you request us to. This is because anchovies will not deteriorate during the short transit time. However, if you prefer, you can add temperature-controlled shipment here.
