Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Marinated Anchovy

Exquisite marinated anchovy flavour pairings and recipes, revealed through data science.

Marinated anchovy is marked by the unmistakable flavours of iodine and brine, yet its initial saltiness is only the opening note. Beneath lies a complex tapestry of glutamate, sardine, and the sharp acidity of vinegar, contributing remarkable depth. The key to a truly exceptional synergy lies in knowing how these notes interact and harmonise.

To chart these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, each deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, pinpointing the notes that best complement this ingredient’s profile. Our analysis reveals, for example, how basil's linalool tones awaken marinated anchovy, and how extra virgin olive oil's hexenal notes create a surprising synergy with its sharp acidity.

An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as acidic, herbal, or vegetal, combined with layers of subtle flavour notes (outer bars). For a balanced dish, pair ingredients with a variety of core flavours, and choose complementary aroma notes for harmony.

The Flavour Code

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Acetic Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of vinegar is strongly associated with the flavour of grass. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a grassy flavour, such as extra virgin olive oil, when pairing with the vinegary aroma accents of marinated anchovy.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing marinated anchovy with extra virgin olive oil.

Harmonious Flavours Of Marinated Anchovy

Just as our analysis indicated that vinegar and grassy flavours are harmonious, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavours present in marinated anchovy. E.g. the fishy accents of marinated anchovy are often used with rice-like and hot flavours.

The aromas complementing the various aromas of marinated anchovy can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of basil offers many of the accents complementary to marinated anchovy, including basil and thyme aromas. Because the flavour profile of basil has many of the of the features that are complementary to marinated anchovy, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of basil across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with marinated anchovy.

Recipes That Pair Marinated Anchovy With Basil

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the accents that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of marinated anchovy, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of marinated anchovy, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the notes complementary to marinated anchovy.

What To Drink With Marinated Anchovy

The grassy notes in sauvignon blanc (bordeaux) make it a perfect pairing with marinated anchovy. Likewise, the grassy flavours in sauvignon blanc (loire valley) create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of marinated anchovy below.

Which Vegetables Go With Marinated Anchovy?

Choose vegetables that cut through its oceaniness or anchor its sharp acidity. Baby gem lettuce and french bean offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Green bean add a gentle, oniony brightness, while kale introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace vegetables that harmonise with marinated anchovy's metallicity. The addition of red pepper, with its subtle solanum notes, can complement the iron beautifully, while grape tomato lends a fresh aroma.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Marinated anchovy), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.