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.

Boquerón — Engraulidae fish

Roberto Pillon, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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

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.

Useful gear for preparing fish

$ · lifting and turning delicate fish fillets

OXO Good Grips Little Fish Turner

Sliding beneath fillets and turning them with less tearing than a thick spatula.

$$ · filleting, skinning, and trimming whole fish

Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Flexible Fillet Knife

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

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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'.