I really love anchovies, and I consider them amongst my top 5 pantry staples. I am embarrassed to admit that despite my longstanding commitment to these little fish, my rule of thumb was just to buy the most expensive ones on the shelf. But, my understanding of the ingredient went a whole lot deeper on my recent trip to the Basque region. There, I learned exactly why all anchovies are not created equal. While some are packed in tins en masse, others are meticulously scrubbed, de-boned, trimmed with tiny scissors and gently laid to rest in a bath of olive oil. In this part of the world, they are not treated as seasoning for sauces and salad dressings alone. Instead, they are the main event, eaten on their own or on toasts during Tapas hour. My education in all things anchovy left me enlightened, thirsty and with a suitcase full of fish to smuggle across the border.

The process goes like this: the fisherman catch tons of the silvery fish in a net out on the Cantabrian Sea. They immediately submerge the fish in ice, keeping it fresh while they return to land. The anchovies are then covered in rock salt and stuffed in plastic bins for months while they cure. They are sniffed, bin by bin, to determine their readiness, and then removed when they reach maximum potential. The size of the fish is almost cut in half as it dehydrates in the salt over time. Then, the fish are brought to a cadre of formidable ladies, who gently scrub the skin from each fish, trim the fins and the tail with what look like manicure scissors, de-bone them, carefully tapering the sides of each fillet to create a uniform and pleasing shape. Each little flavor bomb is then laid flat and packaged, unless it is scooped up, sandwiched between two pieces of bread and promptly gobbled up.

If you are traveling to the Basque region be sure to visit Maisor in the town of Getaria, where you can buy the world’s best canned fish and even attend an hour long anchovy filleting workshop yourself.