Anchovies as food Anchovies as food Anchovies are a family (Engraulidae) of small, common salt-water forage fish. There are 144 species in 17 genera, found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Anchovies are usually classified as an oily fish. They are small, green fish with blue reflections due to a silver longitudinal stripe that runs from the base of the caudal fin. They range from to in adult length, and the body shape is variable with more slender fish in northern populations. A traditional method of processing and preserving anchovies is to gut and salt them in brine, allow them to mature,
Tasmanian whitebait forked with short, although distinct, peduncle flanges. The anal fin is longer than the dorsal fin and begins well posterior to the dorsal fin base. Pectoral fins are long and slender. The fish has a large, clearly visible swim bladder located below the spine just forward of the longitudinal mid-point, and an adipose fin on the dorsal surface above the anal fin. Juveniles and marine adults are translucent, usually with a lateral line not clearly marked by pigment. Fins are generally clear except for small dark spots on the caudal fin. Adults have a silvery mid-lateral stripe. Dark pigmentation increases