Consider the Anchovy: a journey in pursuit of the little fish with the big flavour
Amazon bestselling title
Consider the Anchovy is an Amazon bestseller. Order on Amazon UK or browse all retailers below.
Book Summary
"Consider the Anchovy" is a love letter to the humble anchovy that journeys along the Mediterranean and around the world, exploring the fascinating history and culture behind the little fish with big flavour.
Alongside delicious recipes to close each chapter, this book is rich in research, stuffed with maverick, rakish characters and full of flavour.
Whether you love them or hate them, "Consider the Anchovy" is both an entertaining odyssey and an unabashedly passionate manifesto that celebrates anchovies with their pungent, complex, umami allure as leading, albeit sometimes unpredictable, movers in world culinary history.
I have spent the past year delving into the history, the characters, the joyfully neo-luddite, utterly artisanal production, the chefs, the festivals, bonkers anchovy museums and restaurants that will bring immense pleasure to anchovy lovers. Many are off the beaten track or hidden in plain sight.
I believe anchovies are entering a new golden age of recognition with greater connoisseurship and understanding of what makes these wild and truly sustainable tiny-yet-mighty fish such a powerful and versatile addition to the kitchen and worthy of being treated as the central plate or even enjoyed in their "naked" splendour.
Anchovies are being recognised for their sustainable credentials: voracious anchovy sex literally stirs up the ocean and circulates vital nutrients, oxygen and greenhouse gasses around different layers of the ocean to better sustain the marine ecosystem.
“My mission is to give anchovies the status and deep respect they deserve... I challenge every anchovy sceptic to just try a good anchovy and see how they enliven the palate, even on a crisp!”
— Sudi Pigott
I travel from Cantabria to Collioure meeting families, fishers, producers, chefs, and museum curators whose lives are shaped by anchovies.
I discover Slow Food principles and artisan conservas, admiring the dexterity of the sobadoras who produce impeccable velvet fillets with fishing net and tweezers.
In Athens I appreciate just how important anchovies are in Greek cuisine today and taste vinegar-marinated anchovies produced by a leading bottarga producer that match the superlative quality of Cantabrian boquerones.
I report how anchovies have returned to San Francisco in a major way and how recipes are being reinvented there with a Californian slant.
I relish the importance of anchovies in culinary cultures beyond Europe from Japan to Korea, Singapore to Sri Lanka and Mumbai.
I delve into the historical importance of anchovies in the UK and the cult of anchovy on toast, alongside the more creative anchovy dishes now being feted.
Sudi's Consider the Anchovy Events
Talks, masterclasses, festivals and events around the launch of "Consider the Anchovy".
Thursday 2 July 2026 — SOLD OUT
Anchovy Sommelier Masterclass — Borough Kitchen, Battersea
Battersea, London
This event is sold out. Please contact Sudi on Instagram @sudifoodie or email [email protected] if you would like to be added to the waiting list or informed about her next masterclass.
What people are saying
“Anchovies have always held a very special place in my cuisine. I am so happy that Sudi is highlighting their strong sense of origin and craftsmanship and their complexity and versatility.”
— Mauro Colagreco
“Not just an elegant love letter to the anchovy, but the only book you'll ever need on one of the world's greatest ingredients.”
— Tom Parker Bowles
“A gloriously geeky, deeply researched and hugely entertaining journey that gives this small fish the epic treatment it deserves.”
— Heston Blumenthal
“I bloody love anchovies and I can't wait to read this book.”
— Jackson Boxer
“A beautiful subject and fascinating read from a passionate anchovy missionary.”
— Claudia Roden
“I am fascinated by how Sudi Pigott makes such a research respecting the world of anchovies with so much delicacy towards all the people who are behind.”
— Elena Arzak
“I thought Sudi's passion for food was high until we talked about anchovies. I now realise it is off the scale. One of my favourite ingredients, this book shows us all how varied and wonderful this fish is.”
— Jack Stein
“Between these covers is an anchovy odyssey, a journey in search of a small fish of enormous importance. Fascinating, unexpected and utterly enticing!”
— Rachel Roddy
“Sudi Pigott is perhaps one of the best food writers that I have known in my long career.”
— Ken Hom CBE
Order your copy
Available at good independent bookshops and delis.
A New Golden Age of Anchovies
- •Our curiosity and appetite is being awakened for more specialist, recherché anchovies.
- •Understanding of how this umami flavour bomb can enhance a dish is keener than ever.
- •There is a growing appreciation of the complexity of taste in higher-quality, ultra-artisanal anchovies.
- •Chefs and restaurants are competing to showcase anchovies on toast in myriad variations as a cult dish.
- •Discerning anchovy lovers are increasingly prepared to pay for top-end anchovies to be enjoyed in 'the naked' style or as the centrepiece of a special meal.
- •Awareness of anchovies as one of the most sustainable and nutritious little fish is growing and they are extremely low in calories.
Look out for
- •A new trend for serving anchovies in their can anchoateca style
- •Adding very special anchovies to adorn a pizza AFTER it has been cooked exemplified by Hotel Caruso and alici di menaica on the Amalfi Coast
- •Anchovies filleted with tweezers for an exceptional finish.
- •Anchovies 'finished' with fishing net for an ultra-velvety fillet.
ON MENUS NOW
Chefs shaping the anchovy moment
YANNICK ALLENO, the most Michelin decorated chef in the world with 18 stars across his 21 restaurants says he cannot wait to read 'Consider the Anchovy'
He loves anchovies for their precision. They bring a delicate intensity and a subtle saltiness that awakens the palate without ever overpowering it. At Pavyllon London, he serves a Cornwall lamb chop, hay-barbecued, with samphire pistou, anchovy paste and lamb jus.
MAURO COLAGRECO of 3 Michelin star Mirazur, Menton; Mauro Colagreco at Raffles at OWO, London & many restaurants around the world including his Mitron bakeries
Colagreco loves the intensity and complexity of anchovies. He says, 'they bring a certain roundness that can transform a dish without ever dominating it when used with precision. It's a flavour that lingers, that connects elements together. A single anchovy can elevate vegetables, enhance a sauce, or give structure to something very minimal.' A signature dish at Mirazur is violet skinned, chestnut flavoured heritage Vitelotte potato with lightly marinated fresh anchovies wrapped in a lardo di colonnata 'coat'
Quique Dacosta of 3 Michelin star Restaurant Quique Dacosta, Denia and restaurants in Valencia, Madrid and London
Dacosta is experimenting with curing anchovies in koji rather than salt, as many Japanese chefs do.
Jesús Sánchez of 3 Michelin star Cenador de Amos, close to Santander
Jesús Sánchez is one of Spain's pre-eminent ambassadors for anchovies, which he elevates to the same status as caviar in his signature dish of an exquisite anchovy in butter served lollipop style alongside an ethereal brioche with caviar.
José Pizarro, awarded the Royal Order of Isabel la Católica (like a knighthood) for his outstanding work promoting Spanish cuisine in his many restaurants in the UK over more than 25 years
Pizarro is encouraging UK diners to try high-end anchovies with huge success. He serves Catalina anchovies in the tin, with each fillet treated as a special luxury.
Sat Bains, Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
Sat Bains is experimenting with conserving anchovies in koji, as in Japan, and creating his own garum on some of his most creative fish dishes.
Raymond Blanc, considered a national treasure in the UK, created 2 Michelin star Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons and Brasserie Blanc, celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2026
Blanc is planning to bring fresh anchovies caught in British waters to the summer menu of Brasserie Blanc restaurants throughout the UK.
Stuart Brioza, The Anchovy Bar, San Francisco
Brioza has brought anchovies back to California in a major way. He serves his own Cal-style jalapeño and lime accented marinated anchovies and even puts caramelised anchovies into a dessert.
Elliot Grover of 45 Park Lane, London
The UK chef who caters for the Oscars with Wolfgang Puck is crazy about anchovies.
Belmond Hotel Caruso, Ravello, Amalfi Coast
Armando Aristaro, executive chef, believes Slow Food alici di menaica should be laid reverently on wood-fire-cooked pizza only after it is cooked, preserving their delicacy and depth of flavour, and uses anchovies throughout his fine-dining restaurant.
Sudi's Anchovy Odyssey
Sudi visits the anchovy capitals and charming unspoilt fishing towns and their anchovy fishers and producers, anchovy festivals, anchovy museums, chefs, and restaurants serving regional anchovy specialities.
Santoña and Santander
Cantabria, Spain
Santoña is the epicentre of Cantabrian anchovies, with 43 conservas on calle Anchoa and La Mutua celebrating the best tins with a menu built around them.
L'Escala
Costa Brava, Spain
A gorgeous small historic town whose October festival offers anchovy passports for an anchovy crawl through the best dishes in its bars and restaurants.
Collioure
Occitanie, South of France
Visit in early summer to avoid the crowds. June's anchovy festival brings flotillas of antique wooden barques, markets, processions, dancing, unusual medieval instruments, and celebratory seaside menus.
Cetara
Amalfi Coast, Italy
An unspoilt fishing town known for colatura d'alici, anchovy gin, anchovy chocolates, deft craftsmanship, and chefs worth the pilgrimage.
Trapani
Sicily, Italy
Baroque old town, waterfront promenades, nature-reserve salt pans, seafood couscous, and special busiate pasta with Trapani pesto of tomatoes, garlic, almonds, and anchovies.
Athens
Greece
In Athens, Sudi appreciates just how important anchovies are in Greek cuisine today and tastes vinegar-marinated anchovies from a leading bottarga producer that match the superlative quality of Cantabrian boquerones.
Small, yet mighty anchovy desirables
01
Earrings
02
Brooch
03
T-shirt
04
Tote bag
05
Coffee cup
06
Tray
07
Canisters
08
Oven gloves
Previous books
How to be a Better Foodie (2011)
Bestseller with over 50,000 copies sold in the UK, US and Australia.
I am told this is the book that kick-started Clerkenwell Boy's interest in food and restaurants.
Flipping Good: Pancakes Around the World (2017)
A global love letter to pancakes, culture, and comfort food, from Japanese souffle to Ethiopian injera, French crepes to American stacks.