Salted anchovies from RETORNO Ría de Santoña

Salted anchovies from RETORNO Ría de Santoña follow a meticulous production process to achieve the flavor and authenticity of the true salted anchovy from the Cantabrian Sea.

Preparation Salted anchovies from RETURN Ría de Santoña: The first step is to capture and select the anchovy. They are caught using sustainable fishing techniques during the spring months, a time in which the bocarte has a better balance of fats that make it suitable for preserving. Furthermore, Ría de Santoña only works with large anchovies.

Once manually cleaned, they are placed in barrels, alternating layers of salt per layer with a dam on top of the barrel to dehydrate the anchovy. This process has a minimum duration of 6 months. The next step is the removal of the skin and salt. What differentiates Ría de Santoña from other brands in this very important step is that they do not use hot water to speed up the process but, again, carry it out by hand anchovy by anchovy.

Next, the anchovy is passed through three different barrels with water to achieve the exact level of salt and the anchovy is placed in special cloths where machines extract any possible excess water. The turn of the expert hands has arrived: those in charge of the most laborious and specialized step of the process, the filleters. These women must cut the tail of the anchovy, remove the backbone, separate the fillets and remove the bones.

Finally, the anchovy will have to be prepared for consumption. The anchovy is carefully placed in the corresponding format and the oil is added to package each product individually.

Ría de Santoña is considered one of the best canneries of the many in Santoña. Due to its excellent quality and artisanal production methods, Ría de Santoña enjoys well-deserved recognition worldwide.