Anchovy Essence substitute

Substitutes for Anchovy Essence with ratios

1. 2Colatura di Alici

   Close match

   Use ½ tsp for every 1 tsp essence

   The Italian amber liquid drained from barrels of salted anchovies.

   What changes

   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.

2. 3Southeast Asian Fish Sauce

   Different taste

   Use ¾ tsp for every 1 tsp essence, plus ¼ tsp lemon juice

   Fermented anchovy liquid from Thailand or Vietnam.

   What changes

   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.

3. 4Mashed Tinned Anchovy Fillets

   Different texture

   Use 2 fillets for every 1 tsp essence

   Salt-cured fillets mashed to a paste with a little of their oil.

   What changes

   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.

4. 5Worcestershire Sauce

   Different taste

   Use 1 ½ tsp for every 1 tsp essence

   A thin fermented British sauce that contains anchovies alongside tamarind, molasses and spice.

   What changes

   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.

5. 6Light Soy Sauce With White Miso

   Different taste

   Use 1 tsp soy plus ¼ tsp white miso and a few drops of vinegar for every 1 tsp essence

   A fish-free mix that covers the salt and savoury depth.

   What changes

   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.