Eat Anchovies???

They look SO Gross when cooked haha!!

This Happened.

Honest to goodness, happened.

I lived to tell the tale.

I am even going to serve them to my husband.

**Gasp!**

What?! "I'm off my rocker?!?!"

Hate to break it you, but you are way past fashionably late to that party. ;)

Now, you ask; "Why would I eat that.." Or recommend anyone else do so??

Two Words: CONTAMINATION & COST

Contamination: Being lower on the food chain, gives the anchovy the benefit of fewer toxins; since it mostly feeds on plankton. So while I love to cook up a gourmet meal with some of our bigger fish favorites... anchovies are something I can serve, with something even greater, peace of mind.

Cost: I get a lot of the same nutrients (and some different ones, like Choline) as I would from their bigger fish counterparts, for a fraction of the price. With the price of our grocery bill these days, this is beyond good news. SO, yes, you can feed your family well; even on a budget! :) Not to mention, all that wonderful unsaturated fat anchovies come with!! Hooray for heart health!

This was my first taste of anchovies. Jonathan (my wonderful hubby) sat and watched with chagrin as I ate my way through my first slice of Anchovy Pizza (I thought a familiar food might be the way to go with something WAY outside of my comfort zone). The experience was enlightening. AND I learned a few things.

Here's my Do's & Dont's of Anchovies:

#1. Turns out anchovies are realllllyyyy salty, don't add pepperonis; true story.

#2. For your first time, eat them alone. In a dark room. Or else, that really cute guy eating with you (albeit, he's eating something totally different) will describe those little anchovies in the most terrifying way.

"There is HAIR growing out of IT!! YOU ARE EATING HAIR!!!!"

This is not helpful. Granted, very humorous for said cute guy, but not helpful for the first few bites (don't worry, you can't even tell it has bones when you're chewing, I know that now). But since you heard the "hair" story, I suggest a dark/dim room for the first time around, sometimes it's just easier not to see them.

#3. They taste fishy. Yes, I know that's a given; but I kind of expected something different. So, I was shocked when it tasted like I bit into a fresh fish market; you know like the one on Free Willy. If there was a taste for the fresh fishy smell, this would be it.

#4. After you adjusted to the anchovy taste and finished off your dinner; give that stinker of a cutie one BIG fishy kiss, and sweetly remind him that the "hairy" fish will be popping up on the dinner menu in the very near future. ;) *goodtimes* :)

Overall, it was a good experience. And I look forward to the day that we look back and laugh at what anchovy novice's we were. :)

This is the jar of fun I have, packaged in Olive Oil; much better for you.