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,
Argyropelecus affinis has 9 short soft rays and there is also a dorsal adipose fin. The pectoral fin has 11 or 12 soft rays, the pelvic fin 6 and the anal fin 13. There are several short post-abdominal spines. The swim bladder is gas-filled and well-developed. This fish has a dark-coloured back and silvery sides, with darker pigment along the lateral line. The scales have a tendency to detach and adult fish have rows of photophores on the underside. This species is circum-global and is found in the warmer parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is plentiful off the