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Animal profile

European Anchovy

Engraulis encrasicolus

ActinopterygiiCoastal and shelf waters of the eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea, often entering estuaries and lagoonsLeast Concern

Field profile

The European anchovy is a slender schooling fish with a projecting snout and a mouth that opens far behind the eye. It filters plankton from coastal waters and is fished intensively, particularly in the Bay of Biscay, the Adriatic and the Black Sea.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-07-10

European Anchovy

The anchovy's flavour is made by curing

A fresh anchovy tastes mild and unremarkable. The intense savoury flavour of the tinned fish is produced afterwards, by months of salting during which the fish's own enzymes break its proteins down into free amino acids.

Read with evidence →

European Anchovy | Daily Animal Facts