Anchovy Extract, 100 ml (Colatura di Alici)

Anchovy Extract (Colatura di Alici)

Colatura di Alici is a traditional Italian fish extract. It is a clear, amber-colored liquid with a very intense salty taste and a strong aroma. Colatura di Alici from Cetara is a noble descendant of garum, which ancient Romans used as a universal seasoning. It is one of the specialties of Cetara's cuisine and is prepared with the same enthusiasm as it once was, following the ancient tradition of the Amalfi Coast.

Its origin is lost in the distant past, but it is said that the traditional Colatura di Alici, as we still appreciate it today, came from the skillful Cistercian monks of Amalfi.

Fresh anchovies are carefully cleaned, layered alternately with sea salt, and placed in wooden containers called terzigni.

This first phase is lengthy and requires several weeks of waiting. Then, the anchovies begin to release liquid, which is collected and poured, without filtering, into special wooden barrels.

During a year of "refinement," the liquid rises to the surface and is naturally filtered (the jars are covered with fresh oregano leaves) to obtain a clear product free of solid residues.

Thanks to its unique taste and longer production process, it has become a symbol of the industriousness of generations who pass on the entire process from salting to subsequent filtering of the liquid. Colatura is the result of the maturation and pressing of salted anchovies.

Colatura di Alici is easily digestible and rich in vitamin A. You can enjoy it as a dressing in combination with fresh herbs such as parsley, garlic, and chili pepper, and with extra virgin olive oil. Mix everything just before serving and it can be served, for example, with linguine or "al dente" spaghetti.

Ingredients: Anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus), salt.

Quick recipe for Spaghetti or Linguine alla colatura di Alici
Ingredients for 4 people: 4 tablespoons of colatura di alici, 8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 5 cloves of garlic, 1 slice of lemon peel (or chili peppers).
In a pan, sauté the chopped garlic, add the extract and lemon peel, which you then remove. Season with chili pepper to taste, add the sauce to the pasta, which has been cooked in unsalted water and drained.