CarneAtlas

Boquerón

Fish · Engraulidae

Boquerón in English is Anchovy. It belongs to the Engraulidae family; the names below show how the same fish is sold across international markets.

Also called
🇺🇸🇬🇧Anchovy🇲🇽🇦🇷Anchoa🇫🇷Anchois🇵🇹🇧🇷Anchova🇮🇹Acciuga🇩🇪Sardelle
Boquerón — Engraulidae fish

Roberto Pillon, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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The European anchovy is a small, oily fish that is rarely eaten fresh outside of Spain and southern France, where it is fried whole as boquerones. More commonly it is cured in salt and oil, becoming the intensely flavored preserved anchovy used in pizza, pasta, salads, and sauces worldwide. Fresh anchovies marinated in vinegar (boquerones en vinagre) are a beloved Spanish tapa.

Names by country

CountryNameNotes
🇺🇸United StatesAnchovyAlmost always encountered canned or as a pizza topping in the US
🇬🇧United KingdomAnchovy
🇲🇽MexicoAnchoa
🇦🇷ArgentinaAnchoa
🇫🇷FranceAnchoisFresh or salt-cured — essential in Niçoise salad and tapenade
🇪🇸SpainBoquerónprimaryFresh fried (boquerones fritos) or marinated in vinegar (en vinagre) — a beloved Spanish tapa
🇵🇹PortugalAnchova
🇧🇷BrazilAnchova
🇮🇹ItalyAcciugaAlso 'alice' (especially in southern Italy and at retail); cured 'colatura di alici' is a Cetara speciality.
🇩🇪GermanySardelleCured/preserved anchovies are sold as 'Anchovis'.

Does your butcher call it something else?

Often confused with

Boquerón vs Anchovysame fish

Handling fish at home

Fresh whole fish ready for preparation

$$ · filleting, skinning, and trimming whole fish

Fillet a whole fish without wasting half of it

Following the bones and contours of whole fish with a narrow, flexible blade.

Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Flexible Fillet Knife

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