Most common are the anchovy fillets packed in oil. 1-kilo cans of whole anchovies packed in salt from Sicily. Among the stores to try are Gene s Fine Foods in Saratoga, Cosentino s in San Jose and Santa Clara, Shoppers Corner in Santa Cruz, and Draeger s in Los Altos, Menlo Park and San Mateo. Rinse the fillets thoroughly under running water. Unused anchovies will keep for weeks in the refrigerator, longer than leftover oil-packed anchovies will.
Aficionados contend that salt-packed anchovies have a superior flavor.
Goldstein concurs, although she says there are excellent anchovies in oil available for cooks who don t want to fuss with the salt-packed ones. You can also use anchovy paste, which comes in a tube, but I think the flavor is superior when you mash or chop the fillets yourself. Here are some dishes in which the anchovy makes its presence felt without smacking you in the face. My husband clipped this recipe from Parade magazine. Over the years, he s modified the original somewhat.