Italian Anchovies in Sea Salt by Scalia (29.9 ounce)

My friend, who cooks a lot, said these were great, and I, who eat a lot, agree with him!

I have purchased salted Sicilian anchovies many times in the past. Never have I encountered a product of such inferior quality. It did not arrive in a tin as shown but instead in a plastic container with no seal which leaked. The anchovies were incredibly small and poorly cleaned with remnants of internal organs hanging out. Most were less that an inch long. They were poorly packed and many had deteriorated in the container leaving a grey sludge. Although I doubt that they have spoiled because of the salt, it is almost impossible to obtain anything but fragments of a filet. What to do about the grey sludge - well, I’ll leave that to you imagination. Buyer beware.

Just to see if there was any difference, I bought this product and an 800g can of the Agostino Recca brand at the same time. Since they appear to be identical, I was fully prepared to believe they might be the same fish, caught by the same boats, and processed in the same cannery - with the label and marketing as the only difference. I opened both cans and compared the products side-by-side.I think there IS a noticeable difference - and I give the edge to the Scalia brand.The fish packed by Scalia were more likely to be whole and a little more firm. In contrast, most of the Agostino Recca branded fish emerged from the can in pieces. This doubles the time it takes to rinse the fish of the salt in which it is packed, a tedious (but worthwhile) task under the best of circumstances. It also takes more care because the mushiness of the pieces makes them more difficult to handle.An A/B test didn't reveal any difference in taste, so I was reluctant to post this review. However, I noticed another reviewer here had the same reaction. So, my experience may not have been a fluke.Both are wonderful products but, all other things (like the price) being equal, I would opt for the Scalia brand because of the appearance of the fish and the much greater convenience in preparation.

These were by far the worst anchovies I have ever seen or eaten! They were so salty that I couldn’t eat them even after soaking them in hot water and then drained at least three times to get rid of the excessive salt! Beside being basically inedible, the anchovies themselves were not properly cleaned and prepared! I paid $26 for the can and was totally ripped off!I have eaten anchovies all my life and these are without a doubt the worst I have ever had!You can rest assured that I will never buy any products from SCALIA again!

These are the best salt-packed anchovies out there. The fish come out whole - which isn't the case with that "other" brand. And it's clear they've been salted while still quite fresh. I saddens me to see this products reviews brought low by folks who confuse the salt-cured anchovy with the oil-packed kind, so here's the drill:The fish, as I said, are whole so each one has 2 filets. Remove from the tub the number you want to use, scrape off the salt and soak in warm water for at least 15 minutes. Pull off the bony collar of the fish, then holding the tail fin, peel each filet off the backbone with a paring knife. Rinse off any entrails or remaining salt clinging to the skin of the filet. Your filets are now ready for use.Even though these are salt-packed, if properly prepared they are not salty at all. Once I tried them many years ago, I never went back to the oil-packed ones.

Not bad never knew anchovies came in such a large can. Can was rusting a little at the seems, but not bloated. Not sure if that is good or bad but when I opened the can anchovies were packed in salt with a little brine which is what I expected. Soaked some in water and ate, and I am still breathing. But they are anchovies and really are not much different then the ones in oil that come in a can.Was hoping for some life changing experience with these but in the end they are just anchovies

My first can of Scalia salt-packed anchovies, these were a disappointment. From the preponderance of reviews on Amazon I expected better. It may be that I received a bad can, but the content of this one was mostly broken anchovies in brine, with salt at the bottom of the plastic container. I salvaged and deboned as many of the little fish as I could, but it was hardly worth the effort. We use lots of anchovies, espec. for orecchiette con rapini (orecchiette with broccoli rabe), which is one of our standard dishes at home.

This is a BIG container of anchovies, and they are big anchovies! These aren't the little fellas you find in the jar at the grocery store. That said these have lots more bones, larger bones, then the Spanish ones that come in a nice jar I've been buying (although I forget the name). I'm not sure this is how they should look; I have no idea how they were packed originally but you would think that they should be more or less dry, it says "in salt"... These may have started out that way but I'm not sure they should look this way now. Anyway, they are good anchovies and they are large! Taste? Flavor-wise, they are good anchovies for sure... although I'm not sure they're any better for general cooking than the stuff I can buy at the grocery. Mainly I use these to make Caesar salad dressing.Edit: okay, I'm probably the only person that didn't notice this one buying them but these are NOT anchovy fillets, these are whole anchovies without heads or guts. That said, they are larger anchovies than what you normally would find however even though you can eat the bones, they don't mash up so to speak so I have taken to filleting them by first rinsing them gently in water and then just doing this by hand. You can see the small pile of fillets more or less that I have accumulated and I've gone through already about half of the can. That at what? 26 or 27 bucks? Not sure this is worth it but it is what it is. I'm not sure how exactly anchovies are usually used in Italy but these have great flavor, it's just that you're going to have to do a little work if you want them clean-ish.