What's The Deal With The Bones In Canned Anchovies?

If you've ever had canned anchovies, you may have asked yourself, "What's the deal with these tiny bones?" It's a fair question, especially if you're new to eating this small, tightly-packed canned fish. Do you eat them straight from the can or are you supposed to ready your magnifying glass and a pair of tweezers to free each hair-thin bone from its oily flesh? Is there some other miraculous hack you have yet to discover to make your canned anchovies safe for consumption? The truth is — it's all been done for you. In fact, those tiny wispy bones threading their way through the anchovies in your can (or jar) are left behind precisely because they are completely safe to consume and, once cooked, undetectable.

The larger spinal bones in these fish have already been expertly hand-removed in places like the Amalfi coast of Italy or Cantabria, Spain among others. Because anchovy production is already so laborious and the rest of the bones are so small and tender (made even softer by canning), they are left in and actually add to the overall taste and nutrition (which includes Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, selenium, calcium, and iron) inherent in these oily, umami-packed fish. The best part: If you're cooking with these diminutive powerhouses, you'll find that the bones melt away, leaving only their deliciously-concentrated, salty-savory flavor behind. Just remember, a little fishie goes a long way, with most recipes calling for only a few anchovies to enliven a dish and a few more to shine a spotlight.

Now that you know the deal with those not-so-pesky little bones and all the flavor they impart, you need not be afraid to dive in (pun intended) and experiment. Not only are these intensely-flavored canned wonders great in salads like Gordon Ramsay's take on tuna Niçoise or a classic Caesar salad, and fantastic atop your pizza, the mini-flavor bombs are perfection when it comes to adding the right amount of salty, umami punch to just about everything from olive oil, butter, and aioli to scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, mashed potatoes and everything in between. You can even add them to your next Italian sub sandwich or melt a few down into pot roast gravy along with oniony pan drippings for an out-of-this-world Sunday roast that will leave guests licking their spoons. Or drizzle anchovy-infused compound butter on freshly popped corn for an elevated take on movie night.

But no matter where you choose to use your anchovies, don't miss out on what may famously be one of the easiest and most crave-worthy dishes on the planet, courtesy of celebrity chef, travel host, and author, Anthony Bourdain. The recipe (Spaghetti with Garlic, Anchovies, and Parsley), was featured in his 2016 "Appetites: A Cookbook" and showcases its eponymous ingredients (along with parmesan and red pepper flakes) in a dish that is so rich, delicious, and habit-forming, you'll be making it once a week (at least!)