If you don’t like anchovies, you just haven’t had good ones. I used to think that statement was nonsense, until I had delicious marinated anchovies on my first trip to Spain.
One of my favorite tapas in Spain is called boquerones en vinagre, or anchovies in vinegar. These Spanish style marinated anchovies are a tasty umami packed treat that goes great atop some crusty white bread or a pan con tomate.
You can find these vinegar and herb marinated anchovy fillets already made at various grocery stores. However I find it even better when you make it yourself since I prefer to use higher quality ingredients. Like many of the best Spanish recipes, a focus on high quality ingredients is key.
What Are The Best Anchovies For Boquerones en Vinagre?
There are two types of anchovies that are popular in Spain. You can easily differentiate them by color: brown and white.
The brown type are most common in tins or cans. They are more salty and have been aged longer than their white counterpart. The white anchovies are less salty and are usually packed in a higher quality olive oil. They can also be packed in vinegar as well, but as I am making my own marinated anchovies I specifically bought ones in just oil.
How To Make Spanish Marinated Anchovies
Place your white anchovy fillets in a bowl. If you want you can discard the oil they were packed in and re-add your own. I like to do this if the oil they were packed in seems low quality.
Next I add some sherry vinegar. In Spain many people will add regular white vinegar but I find sherry vinegar to be so much tastier.
Remember, most of the flavor and all of the acidity is comes from the vinegar chosen so look for something that you actually like. Don’t buy something cheap just because it is cheap.
To make the best Spanish marinated anchovies you should also add herbs and spices. You don’t need to add salt as the fish was already cured, but I love this ajo y perejil spice mix I found at my local grocery in Spain.
It is just granulated garlic and chopped dried parsley so you can easily make it yourself by using a 1:1 ratio. I add two teaspoons to the marinated anchovies, so figure one teaspoon of granulated garlic and one teaspoon of dried parsley.
Give everything a good mix and cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. You can let the anchovies marinate overnight, but I find an hour is just fine. Fish, unlike meat, needs less marinating time as the flesh is much more porous.
You can serve the anchovies fanned out on a plate with some lemon wedges and crusty Spanish bread.
How To Eat Spanish Marinated Anchovies?
A popular way to eat boquerones en vinagre is simply laid atop some slices of crusty white bread. This is a popular tapa in Granada and other cities in Spain.
You will also find people that put these marinated anchovies on some pan con tomate, or Catalonian tomato bread. Either way, I find they are best eaten along with a glass of crisp fino sherry!
Spanish Marinated Anchovies
Ingredients
- 100 grams Anchovy Fillets white anchovies packed in oil
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil the highest quality cold pressed olive oil you can find
- 1 tsp Granulated Garlic
- 1 tsp Chopped Dry Parsley
- 2 tbsp Sherry Vinegar
Instructions
- Open the pack of white anchovy fillets and drain them from their oil. Place them in a bowl
- Add in your own high quality olive oil and vinegar along with the garlic and parsley.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for at minimum one hour, ideally overnight.
- Enjoy these marinated anchovies on top of some crusty white bread or a pan con tomate.
