Fish

Peruvian Anchovy

C tier

Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens), or anchoveta, is the enormous Humboldt Current forage fish that underpins the world’s largest single-species fishery by volume—mostly for fishmeal and oil rather than table luxury. Direct human food uses exist: dried, salted, canned, and fresh in Peruvian coastal cookery, with a strong, oily character suited to robust preparations. Flesh is small and rich; it is not a substitute for Cantabrian salt fillets in fine dressings without recipe adjustment. When sold for the table, fry crisp, stew in tomato sauces, or use dried forms for stock-like depth. Most global “anchovy” flavour in feed systems traces to this species rather than Mediterranean cure culture. Sustainability and El Niño-driven biomass swings dominate the fishery narrative. For Caesar dressing authenticity, cooks still reach for European cured Engraulis—but Peruvian anchoveta remains one of the ocean’s most important protein species.