Anchovy Fish Crispy Snack (Chili Flavor)
Americans put the small fish on pizza, Italians add it to pasta sauces, and the Thai? They crisp anchovies up with a sprinkle of chili flakes.
Are your fingers itching to grab an anchovy, or are they reaching to pinch your nose?
These anchovies…they’re just harmless little fish, right?
By that, I mean…
they look harmless.
On second thought…
maybe not.
Nope, not these anchovies aren’t so harmless-looking anymore.
Nor do they taste or smell that way. The anchovies taste and smell like fish. There are some of you who immediately nodded your heads with empathy because you also don’t like fish to be fish-y.
And here’s where I contradict myself, as I sometimes do because I’m me. These anchovies are really crispy and a little bit spicy, and they taste like fried smelt. I may be saying that, though, because I’m well acquainted with the flavor of that dish. I know the taste of fried smelt better than I do anchovy, and I like it. (Have you tried fried smelt? The fish is especially delicious when it’s salty.)
Maybe you’ll want to add this item to your list of table snacks, along with the Kasugai Roasted Mix Nuts. Only Anchovy Fish Crispy Snack (Chili Flavor) will be for the family and friends you don’t mind getting close to.
Those look delicious. I love fried smelt. I will have to look for them next time I am in Chinatown.
Oh, wow. I don’t mind fishiness very much, and these actually look good to me… Have you ever had a Chinese snack of dried anchovies with slivered almonds? They’re tasty too!
Wei-Wei
I’m wondering if fried smelt is the same kind of fish that I used to love that had the belly full of fish eggs. Also, I’ve never had anchovies on pizza. I’m curious, but as with the other unusual flavors of food, I want to try it when there are enough other people around to help me finish it if I don’t like it, haha!
By the way, I recently bought Durian flavored popsicles and Jack fruit (?) flavored popsicles. Ooooo, anticipation!!! I don’t want to eat it now because it’s night and it’s cold. But, I will! And I promise to report back to you!
I ate a Durian popsicle! It was…memorable…HAHAHA! Well, okay, so the first thing I do after opening the box is smell it (of course.) Nothing. I take out an individually wrapped popsicle. Sniff the plastic. Is there a smell? I can’t be sure. Maybe. I open it and smell the popsicle itself. Nothing. WHAT?! I am confused! I smell it again, this time, more closely. OHHHH! THERE IT IS. … I start in on it. Oh….it tastes like its smell. …I regret opening it when no one is around to help me finish it. I continue anyway. I mull over what I think it tastes like. (Aside from it’s smell.) It reminds me of something nutty. It reminds me of almonds and peanuts. And the popsicle has a creamy texture to it. Very soft. It’s not all that bad after I get used to it. I wonder what Durian ice cream and Durian wafers are like.
Sooj: Yes, freshly fried smelt is delicious! If you can’t fry or order it yourself (raw smelt is often available at Asian markets, and I’ve also seen it on the menus of American restaurants), this snack is all right if you want the flavor.
Wei-Wei: Oh, thanks for reminding me of the dried anchovies with slivered almonds. So yes, I have seen the package at stores but have yet to try them. That will probably change soon, however.
Lian: I’ve had fried smelt with white roe, so the fish could very well be what you ate before. (I tend to avoid the ones with roe, though. I only tolerate roe in sushi.) And I’ve also never had anchovies on pizza. It seems to be one of those things you love or hate as a topping, if you know its flavor.
And HAHAHA! is right about your durian popsicle experience! Thanks for detailing it—you were certainly building the anticipation.
And I think you’re spot-on when you said, “…it tastes like its smell.” I’m glad you didn’t hate the flavor of durian. Let me know if you try other durian-flavored items. I’ve had homemade durian-flavored ice cream, which I liked, at a Vietnamese restaurant.
Where can I buy this, I used to buy then from LOTTE or Super H Grocery, they no longer carry them
Can you buy them online?
Johnny: I can’t find the this exact item online, but I did find other dried anchovy snacks at these three sites: http://www.hmart.com/shopnow/shopnow_newsearch.asp?keyword=anchovy, http://search.store.yahoo.net/veryasian/cgi-bin/nsearch?unique=c20f5&catalog=veryasian, and http://www.efooddepot.com/search/quick2.asp (I used ‘anchovy’ as my search word for all sites).