NARDIN
Beautiful, large, and firm: three simple adjectives to describe Nardin anchovies, the best in the world. This gourmet excellence from Cantabria hides its secret in unparalleled raw materials and over a century of expertise in the art of perfect salting. Time, passion, craftsmanship, and respect: these four values have always embodied the essence of the Nardin philosophy.
Nardin anchovies, gourmet excellence from Cantabria
The tradition of salt-packed anchovies has deep roots and tells a story that smells of Sicily but is spoken in Spanish. Basque, to be precise. But let’s start from the beginning, because it’s the beginnings that matter and often define the success of every adventure.
Salted anchovies were invented by the Sicilians. However, between the late 1800s and early 1900s, the waters around Sicily saw fewer and fewer of these fish, forcing local fishermen to sail beyond the Pillars of Hercules and point their bows towards the Gulf of Biscay.
And here, in the Cantabrian Sea, they discovered not only that there were beautiful anchovies – large and firm – but also that the Spanish had no idea what to do with such incredible abundance: for them, it was a humble product, to be eaten only fresh, not worthy of being processed and preserved for the future. A few far-sighted Sicilians, fully aware of their potential value, decided to emigrate to Santoña, the capital of Cantabria.
Even today, most of the anchovy producers in Cantabria are of Sicilian descent.
Nardin anchovies: only spring-caught, only the biggest and firmest
The Nardin family, too, has Italian origins. Mila’s great-great-grandfather – Mila is the woman who, together with her husband Sebastian, founded the company 25 years ago in Getaria – was one of those bold Sicilians who arrived here and taught the Basques the art of salting anchovies. Since then, anchovies have not only become part of Spain’s national gastronomic tradition, but the Spanish have actually managed to elevate them far more than we Italians have, turning them into a true gourmet product.
Anchovies are a migratory fish and reach the Gulf of Biscay between April and May. The Basques call them campaña anchovies (literally “campaign anchovies”) to distinguish them from those caught during the rest of the year. The spring anchovies are recognised as the best in the world: they are large, firm and with a much higher fat content, a key factor that allows for perfect salting.
They are caught in schools and bought at auction – a Dutch (descending-price) auction. Everyone heads to the market to wait for the “arrantzales” returning on their fishing boats and to secure all the catch that will be needed for the coming year.
Once the batch has been purchased, the anchovies are gutted, their heads are removed, and they are packed into tins of standard diameter. One layer of anchovies, one layer of salt, and so on, until the contents rise 5–6 centimetres above the rim of the tin. At this point, a metal band called a camicia (“jacket”) is placed around the excess so that the anchovies don’t fall out, and the whole thing is pressed to expel excess water and allow proper maturation.
Why are the tins always the same size?
Because the value of the anchovies is determined by how many there are in each layer: the fewer there are, the bigger they are – and the more they’re worth.
The art of salting
Nardin’s goal has always been to preserve the knowledge of the art of salting in order to create the finest preserves in a natural way, using only local products, in full respect of the ecosystem and of the raw material. It’s no coincidence that they still work with the same technique used 100 years ago.
Just like great wines, anchovies also need to be aged: for this reason they remain in their tins, well salted and under pressure, for about a year before being cleaned, dried, deboned and filleted by hand one by one, so as not to break them.
The entire process is manual, including placing the fillets into tins or jars. That’s why they rely on the same team of specialised workers who have been with them for over a quarter of a century. A precious know-how, preserved and passed down from generation to generation. An artisanal production that embraces the “zero-kilometre” philosophy: local workers and nearby fishing grounds, with quantities dictated solely by what the sea is willing to offer.
We at Longino & Cardenal were among the first in Italy to discover the quality of these gourmet anchovies, with their unique flavour and texture. A discovery that led us to grow together, transforming a simple customer–supplier relationship into a true friendship. And twenty years later, we are still placing an order every single week.
And to think that this remarkable product is the result of the passion of Grandfather Leonardo, whom everyone affectionately knew by his nickname, “Nardin”.
We never tire of enjoying them on any occasion: from an aperitif by the sea to a traditional bruschetta with wholemeal bread and butter. The variations are endless – it’s up to you to have the curiosity to discover them all.
Nardin and the secret of the perfect anchovy
Time – and plenty of it. Salt – but only sea salt. Tins – all the same diameter.
Anchovies – naturally the very best: the largest, firmest ones, caught only in May and only in the Cantabrian Sea.
Just a few ingredients, all 100% natural, make up the alchemy of this gourmet product. This is the secret of Nardin anchovies: a unique mix of zero-kilometre ingredients, worked and elevated by the century-old experience of a family that has always been devoted to the art of salting.
But how can such a humble product – a tiny fish caught in shoals – become a gastronomic excellence?
As with all good things, the process of preparing salted anchovies takes time, care, passion and, above all, know-how. Perhaps even more than many other kinds of processing. But the flavour that results repays both the months of work and the thousand attentions they receive.
A flavour and texture that improve as time goes by, a bit like wine – the good kind. Instead of ageing in a cellar, Nardin anchovies mature cradled by salt and pressure. And once they are ready, they are rinsed and filleted by hand by the expert women whose skills have been dedicated for over 25 years to creating this true masterpiece of taste.