Santona is famous for and has been associated with quality anchovies for many years. Anchovies are a part of their history and traditions. Anchovies affect everyone who lives in the town and region. From the fishermen who catch them to the people who work in the factories that process the catch. From the delivery people who ship the product to the local shopkeepers, restauranteurs and everyone supported by the tourism industry. They all live and love anchovies.
What I didn’t realise, is just how excited some people get about anchovies and canned fish. In my home, Australia, the canned fish section of the supermarket is small and not that exciting. In it you will find lots of tins of flavoured tuna. Usually this is the cheapest catch available. You can find canned salmon, sardines and crab but few people get excited about these products. I get that people like anchovies on their pizza. But I never would have picked an anchovie as something you could have a “when Harry met Sally” moment over.
In Spain, things are very different. The canned and jarred fish section of any supermarket is much bigger. The quality is amazing and the range is impressive. Canned fish has even been featured in Michelin starred restaurants. Anchovie aficionados will tell you, that anchovies from Santona are the best.
It takes months to process anchovies after they are caught. This process includes several steps and some of these steps are very labour intensive. With all these steps and labour, it is surprising that these little cans of gold are not more expensive.
Tours are available of the canning factories in Santona. On the tour you will learn more about the process and get to taste some product.
If you want to taste test Santona’s anchovies, every restaurant in town is happy to oblige. There are also plenty of shops that only stock canned and jarred anchovies.
If you are there, do yourself a favour and grab some of these little tins of gold.