Anchovy – Nutritional Value, Health Benefits, Recipes

An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to freshwater.^[rx]

More than 140 species are placed in 17 genera; they are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, and in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Anchovies are usually classified as oily fish. Can survive in water.^[rx]

Anchovy is any member of the more than 100 species of small, largely marine, herring-like fish comprising the family Engraulidae. Most are characterized by a large mouth, with the upper jaw extending well behind the eye and the jaw articulation well behind the eye, as well as a long, pig-like snout extending beyond the tip of the lower jaw (Nelson 1994).

Anchovies are commonly small, saltwater, foraging fish of the Engraulidae family with more than 100 different species spread across the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. They are normally found in large schools, which make them easy to catch in large quantities, and one of the most popular places to catch anchovies is the Mediterranean, which is why it is such a large part of Europe, Middle Eastern, and North African cuisines.

Anchovies are small, green fish with blue reflections due to a silver-colored longitudinal stripe that runs from the base of the caudal fin. They range from 2 to 40 cm (0.79 to 15.75 in) in adult length, and their body shapes are variable with more slender fish in northern populations. Snout is blunt with tiny, sharp teeth in both jaws. The snout consists of a unique rostral organ, supposed to be sensory in nature, though its exact function is unknown. The mouth is larger than that of herrings and silversides, two fish which anchovies closely resemble in other respects. The anchovy eats plankton and recently hatched fish.

Their taste is not pleasant to many people, but for those with certain health conditions, you might want to learn to love these salty little fish, which are normally sold in tins or cans and can be put on pizzas, sandwiches, in Caesar salad dressing, and tomato sauce. These oily fish are actually a powerhouse of several important nutrients. These low-calorie fish are used for flavoring purposes and also as an ingredient in food seasoning. They are an important part of salad dressings and pizza toppings. They are used for making many sauces like fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce as well. Anchovies add a salty, nutty, umami-like quality to everything from pasta to pizza.

Population Status

• Formal stock assessments are not conducted for either the northern or central subpopulations of anchovies, but data is collected to help monitor the populations. For example, estimates of abundance on both subpopulations through ship-based surveys have been completed annually since 2016.
• The northern subpopulation has never been formally assessed, but is thought to be abundant, and has a defined overfishing limit.
• The central subpopulation was assessed in 1995, but results were not used to support stock status. Despite this, the stock is thought to be abundant and has a defined overfishing limit.

Appearance

Biology

Where They Live

Fishery Management

Harvest

Proximity	Amount	% DV
Water	10.06 g	N/D
Energy	42 Kcal	N/D
Energy	176 kJ	N/D
Protein	5.78 g	11.56%
Total Fat (lipid)	1.94 g	5.54%
Ash	2.22 g	N/D

Minerals	Amount	% DV
Calcium, Ca	46 mg	4.60%
Iron, Fe	0.93 mg	11.63%
Magnesium, Mg	14 mg	3.33%
Phosphorus, P	50 mg	7.14%
Potassium, K	109 mg	2.32%
Sodium, Na	734 mg	48.93%
Zinc, Zn	0.49 mg	4.45%
Copper, Cu	0.068 mg	7.56%
Manganese, Mn	0.02 mg	0.87%
Selenium, Se	13.6 µg	24.73%

Vitamins	Amount	% DV
Water-soluble Vitamins
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)	0.016 mg	1.33%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)	0.073 mg	5.62%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)	3.981 mg	24.88%
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid)	0.182 mg	3.64%
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)	0.041 mg	3.15%
Vitamin B9 (Folate)	3 µg	0.75%
Folate, food	3 µg	N/D
Folate, DEF	3 µg	N/D
Choline	17 mg	3.09%
Vitamin B-12 (Cobalamine)	0.18 µg	7.50%
Fat-soluble Vitamins
Vitamin A, RAE	2 µg	0.29%
Vitamin A, IU	8 IU	N/D
Retinol	2 µg	N/D
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	0.67 mg	4.47%
Tocopherol, gamma	0.03 mg	N/D
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)	0.3 µg	N/D
Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol)	0.3 µg	2.00%
Vitamin D	14 IU	N/D
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	2.4 µg	2.00%

Lipids	Amount	% DV
Fatty acids, total saturated	0.441 g	N/D
Lauric acid (dodecanoic acid) 12:00	0.004 g	N/D
Myristic acid  14:00(Tetradecanoic acid)	0.086 g	N/D
Palmitic acid 16:00 (Hexadecanoic acid)	0.265 g	N/D
Stearic acid 18:00 (Octadecanoic acid)	0.084 g	N/D
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	0.754 g	N/D
Palmitoleic acid 16:1 (hexadecenoic acid)	0.118 g	N/D
Oleic acid 18:1 (octadecenoic acid)	0.588 g	N/D
Gadoleic acid 20:1 (eicosenoic acid)	0.002 g	N/D
Erucic acid 22:1 (docosenoic acid)	0.033 g	N/D
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	0.512 g	N/D
Linoleic acid 18:2 (octadecadienoic acid)	0.072 g	N/D
Linolenic acid 18:3 (Octadecatrienoic acid)	0.003 g	N/D
18:04	0.016 g	N/D
Arachidonic acid 20:4 (Eicosatetraenoic acid)	0.002 g	N/D
20:5 n-3 (EPA)	0.153 g	N/D
22:5 n-3 (DPA)	0.008 g	N/D
22:6 n-3 (DHA)	0.258 g	N/D
Cholesterol	17 mg	N/D

Amino acids	Amount	% DV
Tryptophan	0.065 g	14.77%
Threonine	0.253 g	14.38%
Isoleucine	0.266 g	15.91%
Leucine	0.47 g	12.72%
Lysine	0.531 g	15.88%
Methionine	0.171 g	N/D
Cystine	0.062 g	N/D
Phenylalanine	0.226 g	N/D
Tyrosine	0.195 g	N/D
Valine	0.298 g	14.11%
Arginine	0.346 g	N/D
Histidine	0.17 g	13.80%
Alanine	0.349 g	N/D
Aspartic acid	0.592 g	N/D
Glutamic acid	0.862 g	N/D
Glycine	0.277 g	N/D
Proline	0.204 g	N/D
Serine	0.236 g	N/D

*Above mentioned Percent Daily Values (%DVs) are based on 2,000 calorie diet intake. Daily values (DVs) may be different depending upon your daily calorie needs. Mentioned values are recommended by a U.S. Department of Agriculture. They are not healthbenefitstimes.com recommendations. Calculations are based on average age of 19 to 50 years and weighs 194 lbs. Source: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ 

Health Benefits of Anchovies

Anchovies are nutritious salt fish usually found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They have a silvery scale and are slender. Anchovies are often used for culinary purposes; can either be salted or smoked not to mention they are readily available. They form an excellent nutritional plan for those seeking to lower their carb intake. Listed below are the reasons why you should consider including anchovies in your daily nutritional plan.

1. Heart Health

Anchovies consist of large amounts of polyunsaturated fats, which help to reduce the presence of “bad” cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) that builds up in the arteries and increase your chances of atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes. Omega-3 fatty acid, found in large quantities in anchovies, actually strips away unhealthy cholesterol and prevents it from binding to the walls of arteries, thus helping it be eliminated from the body. This study was done regarding the elements found in species found near Turkey, one of the major distributors and cultures that consume anchovies.(1)

2. Tissue and Cell Repair

Anchovies consist of a good amount of proteins and they have long been known to benefit the functioning and efficiency of cell metabolism and connective tissue repair and regrowth. Including anchovies in your diet can be a major boost to your body’s ability to heal itself.(2)

3. Skin Health

As mentioned before, anchovies are wonderful sources for essential fatty acids, like omega-3 fatty acid, which is also known as “good cholesterol”, as well as for vitamin E and minerals like selenium. All of these nutrients have been shown to encourage healthy skin, which means that including anchovies as a regular part of your diet can help you maintain a smooth complexion, prevent breakouts, and even decrease the chances of developing wrinkles related to premature aging. Vitamin E can also help protect against sunburn, thus helping to reduce the chances of skin cancer.(3)

4. Bone Health

Vitamins and minerals found in anchovies offer several health benefits; including helping to build strong bones and preventing the risk of osteoporosis and other bone conditions. Calcium and vitamin-A found in anchovies certainly affect bone growth, which makes these tiny fish quite beneficial in fighting bone degradation. Calcium is also integral in the protection of teeth from weakening, keeping them strong and healthy well into old age. (4)

5. Prevents Toxicity

One of the major dangers of consuming too much fish is the high level of mercury and other environmental toxins that can often be found in their bodies. Smaller fish have far fewer toxins, mainly due to their short life span, and thus add far fewer toxins to your body than larger fish, while still providing many of the same nutritional benefits!

6. Eye Health

Anchovies are rich in vitamin-A, which has been studied intensively as it relates to eye health. High levels of vitamin-A have been linked to reduced appearance of eye degradation and macular degeneration, as well as cataracts, so consume some anchovies and protect your eyes!(5)

7. Weight Loss

Anchovies consist of significant amounts of protein and a low-calorie count, which makes them ideal for people trying to lose weight. Increased levels of protein often produce satiety, which prevents overeating, and it provides you with ample nutrition and health benefits, without pouring in extra calories!(6)

8. Anti-inflammatory effects

Anchovies are high in omega-3 fatty acids known to have anti-inflammatory properties. Omega-3 fatty acids help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the bloodstream. Besides having anti-inflammatory effects, anchovies are also high in selenium that helps improve cardiovascular health.

9. Improves digestive health

Anchovies are high in potassium needed for proper muscular and digestive function, as well as skeletal muscular contraction.

How to Eat

• Anchovies were the base for the fermented fish sauce garum in Roman times.
• Anchovies were also eaten raw as an aphrodisiac.
• Because of the strong flavor, they are also an ingredient in several sauces and condiments, including Worcestershire sauce, Caesar salad dressing, remoulade, Gentleman’s Relish, many fish sauces, and in some versions of Café de Paris butter.
• Anchovy fillets are packed in oil or salt in small tins or jars, sometimes rolled around capers for domestic use.
• Setipinna taty or Ikan Bilis is the anchovy commonly used in South-East Asian cooking to make fish stock or sambals.
• Anchovy is also used to produce budu, by the fermentation process.
• They are usually sold dried but are also popularly used in fermented condiments like the Philippine bagoong and Malaysian budu.
• Anchovies are commonly used to make fish stock or are deep-fried in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.
• Anchovies are also popular ingredients for the traditional Javanese sambal.
• Anchovy is the main ingredient in the fish sauce – nước mắm – the unofficial national sauce of Vietnam.
• Dried anchovies are called pla kayak hang and are used in a variety of dishes and especially popular deep-fried as a snack in Thai Cuisine.
• Thai fish sauce (nam pla) is also often made from anchovies.
• In other parts of Asia, such as Korea and Japan, sun-dried anchovies are used to produce a rich soup similar to setipinna taty.
• Anchovy stocks are usually used as a base for noodle soups or traditional Korean soups.
• Fresh and dried anchovies are a popular part of the cuisine in Kerala and other south Indian states and provide a cheap source of protein in the diet.
• Fresh anchovies are eaten fried or as in a spicy curry.
• Anchovies are known as Shamsi and are eaten between November and March in Turkey.
• They are generally consumed fried, grilled, steamed, as a meatball, and as Döner, and pilav.

Tips

• If you want to use whole, canned anchovies, wash them in cold water first. Peel the fillet off from one side and then, take off the backbone and tail from the other fillet. Then, rinse again.
• Unopened canned anchovies have a shelf life of one year. However, once you open the can, make sure to cover the anchovies in a sealed container and refrigerate. They are to be used in less than six months.
• Fresh anchovies are to be treated in the same way as sardines or herring, for the purpose of cooking.
• It is important to remember that you can’t interchange fresh and canned or salted anchovies in recipes. Therefore, ensure that you have the right ingredients at your disposal before you begin to cook.
• Usually, small sardines can be substituted for anchovies in a number of recipes. However, they should be in the same form, i.e. canned or fresh, as required by the recipe.

Buying Anchovies

Salted anchovies start to lose quality as soon as the tin is opened. It may be better to buy only as many anchovies as you need from your local fishmonger. Make sure to rinse off the extra salt off the fish before using since they are much too salty to eat out of the can. If you don’t use them all within a few days, wash the salt off, place in a jar of olive oil, seal with a lid and refrigerate. The fish will keep for about 5 days. Do not keep the fish in the can, as it will give them a metallic taste once the can has been exposed to air.

For a less intense salt flavor buy fish packed in oil or another liquid and, as above, only buy as much as you plan to use. In all cases try to use either of these two anchovy versions in your cooking and try to avoid anchovy paste. The paste is really the bottom step of the anchovy ladder and has very little flavor compared to its fresher and less processed counterparts. However, there are sauces, spreads and other recipes that benefit from the use of anchovy paste.dxwQQqh

Precautions 

• The consumption of sea fish if one is trying to reduce inflammatory diseases such as heart disease.
• Farmed ones contain arsenic that leads to arsenic poisoning.
• Seafood should be cooked safely in order to prevent foodborne illness.
• Pregnant women, young children, older adults, people having lower stomach acid and compromised immune systems (HIV/AIDS, liver disease, cancer, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, people taking steroids, chemotherapy, or immune system) are prone to higher risk.
• It might be contaminated with bacteria such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, and other bacteria relate to land use, sewage discharges, runoff, etc. These microorganisms occur naturally in warm coastal waters which could cause even death or serious illness in individuals who are at higher risk.
• Listeria monocytogenes could cause a serious foodborne illness known as listeriosis.
• The virus Hepatitis A could survive in light cooking. So one should consume it after being properly cooked.
• Fish could have toxins that could cause illness such as ciguatoxin and scombrotoxin, or histamine poisoning.
• Sea fish is related to Scombrotoxin (histamine) which develops when fish is not kept cold enough. The symptoms develop quickly and also disappear completely within 24 hours.
• The flesh of tropical marine fishes might cause ciguatera poisoning experiencing gastrointestinal maladies that could last for several days, weakness in arms and legs, and reversal inability to differentiate between cold and hot. The symptoms could persist for weeks.
• Farmed seafood results in to increase in inflammation leading to weight gain, arthritis, and heart diseases.
• The imbalance ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 causes heart disease and hypertension.
• Seafood and fish in farms have polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organophosphorus (OPs), organochlorine (OC), trifluralin pesticides, and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) causing diseases or even death.
• The seafood has a high content of mercury, which may lead to mercury toxicity.
• Consume it in moderate amounts. So consume it with caution or Avoid consuming it raw.
• Some people might get allergic reactions. So avoid it.
• It has a high chance of contamination.
• One should limit its intake.
• Consult the doctor by pregnant women and children before consuming it. Children and pregnant women should avoid it because the high content of mercury might cause a negative impact on the development of the nervous system of a fetus.
• Seafood or fish have purines in it which is harmful to people having purine-related problems. Excess purines result in an excess buildup of uric acid that could lead to the formation of kidney stones as well as gout.

References

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