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,
Vinciguerria attenuata Vinciguerria attenuata Vinciguerria attenuata, commonly known as the slender lightfish, is a small species of ray-finned fish in the family Phosichthyidae, found in deep water in warmer parts of the Atlantic, the Indian and Pacific Oceans. "Vinciguerria attenuata" is a moderately elongate fish with a tapering body growing to a length of about . The eyes are slightly tubular and set close together, giving vision both upwards and sideways. The mouth is large, with a single row of teeth, some long and some short. The dorsal fin has 13 to 15 soft rays and is set in front of a