Anchovy Fillets "Selection" Gr.100 - Nardin
100g tin.
The Nardin “Selezione” Anchovy Fillets are manually chosen for the size and compactness of the fillets themselves: each tin contains 12/14 fillets, the best that the Cantabrian Sea can offer! Passed down for generations by the Nardin family, the entire process is strictly manual, including the insertion of the fillets. The secret to such a good, delicate and succulent anchovy? The freshness of the raw material: Nardin purchases only the quantity necessary for daily processing, from the port to the factory the distance is 6 km, once the anchovies are finished, the next day we start again from scratch.
The anchovies are caught in spring, the so-called "country anchovies", recognized as the best in the world: they are large, firm and with a significantly higher quantity of fat, a factor that allows for perfect salting. Once the lot has been purchased, the anchovies are gutted, their heads are removed and placed in tins of the same diameter. A layer of anchovies and a layer of salt, so as to go 5 or 6 centimeters above the edge of the tin. At this point, a metal band known as a "shirt" is placed around the excess to prevent the anchovies from falling, which will then be pressed so as to release the excess water and allow correct seasoning.
Why is the can always the same size? Because the value of anchovies is determined by their number per layer: the fewer there are, the larger they are, the more they are worth. The tradition of salted anchovies has its roots back in time and tells a story that smells of Sicily but speaks Spanish. Basque to be exact. In fact, the Sicilians invented the salted anchovy: however, between the 19th and 20th centuries, the presence of these fish in the waters of Sicily seems to be disappearing, so the island fishermen are forced to cross the Pillars of Hercules and turn their bows towards the Bay of Biscay.
And here, in the Cantabrian Sea, they discover not only that there are beautiful, large and firm anchovies, but that the Spaniards don't know what to do with this incredible "abundance": for them they are a poor product, to be consumed only fresh, not worthy of be processed and preserved for the future. Aware of their potential wealth, some far-sighted Sicilians decide to emigrate to Santogna, the capital of Cantabria. Even today, the majority of anchovy companies in Cantabria are of Sicilian descent, just like Nardin.