Anchovy essence substitutes
Anchovy essence substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Anchovy paste
¾ tsp paste for every 1 tsp essence, thinned with ¼ tsp water
Anchovy paste is the closest in flavour: use three quarters of a teaspoon of paste per teaspoon of essence and thin it with a splash of water. Colatura di alici is closer in form, being a thin liquid, but much saltier, so start with half. Fish sauce works at three quarters of the quantity plus a squeeze of lemon. Two mashed tinned anchovy fillets equal about a teaspoon of essence.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- What changes —
- similar taste, different texture
- Best for —
- gravies
Updated 26 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of anchovy essence | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchovy pastegravies | ¾ tsp paste per 1 tsp essence, thinned with ¼ tsp waterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Colatura di alicisauces | ½ tsp per 1 tsp essenceWorks | Works |
| 3 | Southeast Asian fish saucestews | ¾ tsp per 1 tsp essence, plus ¼ tsp lemon juiceTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Mashed tinned anchovy filletsstews | 2 fillets per 1 tsp essenceTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Worcestershire saucestews | 1 ½ tsp per 1 tsp essenceTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Light soy sauce with white misovegetarian stews | 1 tsp soy plus ¼ tsp white miso and a few drops of vinegar per 1 tsp essenceTweak it | Tweak it |
Anchovy paste
similar taste, different texture
Anchovies mashed with salt and oil into a thick tube paste.
- Best for
- gravies, stews, shepherd's pie, sauces, potted shrimp butter
The nearest thing on flavour by a wide margin, since it is the same fish cured the same way. Being concentrated it needs cutting back slightly and loosening with a little water, and it lacks the essence's small vinegar edge. It melts into anything warm, but in a cold sauce or a butter it can leave faint brown specks where the essence would have vanished.
Colatura di alici
similar taste and texture
The Italian amber liquid drained from barrels of salted anchovies.
- Best for
- sauces, dressings, pasta, finishing a braise
The closest match in form, because it is thin and pourable and disappears into a sauce exactly as essence does. It is cleaner, purer and considerably saltier, with none of the vinegar or spice, so start with half the quantity and cut back other salt. Where the essence tastes seasoned, colatura tastes of pure anchovy.
Southeast Asian fish sauce
different taste, similar texture
Fermented anchovy liquid from Thailand or Vietnam.
- Best for
- stews, braises, gravies, marinades
Same raw material and the same job, but sharper, funkier and unmistakably Southeast Asian. In a lamb gravy or a potted shrimp it can read slightly out of place, and the lemon juice helps steer it back towards the British flavour. It is also darker, so a pale sauce will take on a little colour.
Mashed tinned anchovy fillets
similar taste, different texture
Salt-cured fillets mashed to a paste with a little of their oil.
- Best for
- stews, sauces, braises, roast lamb
Identical flavour direction and almost certainly already in your cupboard. Mash them thoroughly against the side of a bowl with the back of a fork, or they will not dissolve and you will find flecks of fish in the finished dish. In anything cold or barely warmed it tastes of anchovy rather than acting as invisible seasoning.
Worcestershire sauce
different taste, similar texture
A thin fermented British sauce that contains anchovies alongside tamarind, molasses and spice.
- Best for
- stews, gravies, mince dishes, cheese on toast
Safe and easy in anything long-cooked and brown, and a poor choice where you want clean anchovy. It is much milder, sweeter and tangier, and the tamarind and clove push the dish in a different direction, so a delicate butter sauce ends up tasting of Worcestershire. It also darkens and slightly sweetens whatever it goes into.
Light soy sauce with white miso
different taste, similar texture
A fish-free mix that covers the salt and savoury depth.
- Best for
- vegetarian stews, gravies, mushroom dishes, dressings
The vegetarian option, and honest about its limits. It nails the salt and a good deal of the savoury backbone, but it tastes rounder, maltier and slightly sweet, with no marine note at all, so the dish gains depth without gaining that faint sea-salt tang. Whisk the miso in properly so it does not sit in lumps.
Questions
5 questionsIs anchovy essence the same as anchovy paste?
No, though they taste alike. Essence is a thin, pourable seasoning sauce of anchovies, salt, water, vinegar and spice, sold in a small bottle. Paste is a thick concentrate in a tube. You can swap paste for essence using about three quarters of a teaspoon of paste per teaspoon of essence, thinned with a little water, but the paste is stronger and does not dissolve as invisibly.
Can I use fish sauce instead of anchovy essence?
Yes, in most savoury cooked dishes. Use about three quarters of a teaspoon per teaspoon of essence and add a squeeze of lemon to soften its sharper, more fermented edge. In a British recipe such as potted shrimp the difference is noticeable, so go carefully; in a stew or braise it is undetectable.
Will my dish taste fishy?
Not if you use the amount the recipe asks for. Anchovy in that quantity reads as savoury depth rather than as fish, which is why it turns up in beef and lamb dishes. It only starts to taste fishy if you are heavy-handed, or if you add it to something cold and barely mixed where it has no chance to disperse.
Can I just leave it out?
Yes, more comfortably than most ingredients on this site, because it is a seasoning rather than a structural part of the dish. Expect the result to taste flatter and less savoury. Season a little more assertively and add half a teaspoon of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce per teaspoon of essence to fill the gap.
Why is anchovy essence so hard to buy?
It is a traditional British store-cupboard bottle with a small following, stocked patchily even in the UK and rarely at all elsewhere, which is why most people searching for it are looking for a replacement rather than a supplier. Anchovy paste is far easier to find and is close enough for almost any recipe.
Tips for substituting anchovy essence
5 tips- Treat it as salt first and flavouring second. Add the essence, stir, then taste before you season the dish, because a teaspoon carries a surprising amount of salt and over-salting is the usual mistake.
- A teaspoon stirred into a shepherd's pie, a beef stew or a lamb gravy is invisible: nobody tastes fish, the dish simply tastes more of itself. That is the whole point of the bottle, and it is why old British recipes reach for it so often.
- It is the traditional seasoning for potted shrimp, fish pies and Cumberland-style sauces. In those, use a lighter hand than in a beef stew, since there is nothing to hide behind.
- Add it off a rolling boil. Hard boiling drives off the delicate top notes and leaves a flatter, saltier residue behind.
- Keep the bottle in the fridge once opened and give it a shake before pouring; the solids settle out and the last inch is much stronger than the first.