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PGI — Languedoc-Roussillon
Anchois de Collioure
Anchois de Collioure: three months in salt, a thousand years of Catalan tradition.
Seafood from Languedoc-Roussillon, PGI (IGP) since 2004.
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PGI — Languedoc-Roussillon
Anchois de Collioure: three months in salt, a thousand years of Catalan tradition.
Seafood from Languedoc-Roussillon, PGI (IGP) since 2004.
AI-generated illustration
As early as the Middle Ages, preserving anchovies in salt was already well developed in Roussillon, and all the region's maritime trade passed through the port of Collioure. Anchovy fishing along the Catalan coast is attested from the 14th century; Collioure established itself as a salting centre thanks to the proximity of anchovy shoals in the western Mediterranean, the presence of salt from the neighbouring lagoons of Salses-Leucate and Aigues-Mortes, and a savoir-faire passed down through Catalan fishing families. In the 19th century, the numerous Catalan barques dedicated to anchovy fishing and the salting businesses bore witness to the economic prosperity of this activity.
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The ancestral savoir-faire of the Collioure salters relies on the mastery of the maturation process and on manual sorting, filleting, drying and packaging operations. Anchois de Collioure obtained PGI on 24 June 2004; the product specification restricts the processing area solely to the commune of Collioure and requires a minimum of three months' ageing in barrels. Today, Roque and Desclaux are the last two artisanal salting houses still operating in the village. Every anchovy demands immemorial savoir-faire: skilled labour, patience, and respect for the slow pace of maturation.
Aspect
Depending on the commercial presentation — in salt, in brine or in oil —, silvery body colour for the whole anchovy, brown fillets whose shade is more pronounced at their centre.
Odeur
Marine and saline notes, characteristic of traditional barrel salting.
Goût
Ripe anchovy taste, characteristic of the fillet in oil, the result of slow maturation.
Texture
Fillet in oil with a tender texture.
manual, carried out by female workers as soon as the batches arrive.
stacked in alternating layers with coarse sea salt, in wooden or food-grade plastic barrels depending on the house.
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Anchois de Collioure is enjoyed first and foremost on its own, set upon a slice of toasted pain de campagne with a drizzle of Languedoc olive oil and a few drops of lemon: this is the most direct way to appreciate its balanced salinity and umami notes. A few fillets on a Catalan salade niçoise — beans, hard-boiled egg, tomatoes and Picholine olives — make for a complete dish with coastal flavours.
In cooking, Anchois de Collioure reveals its full depth in the Catalan bagna cauda, a warm garlic and olive oil sauce for dipping raw vegetables. It also enriches tapenades, enlivens bruschettas, and melts into hot sauces for pasta or roast meats.
Accord vins : a light, dry white from Roussillon (Vermentino, Muscat sec de Rivesaltes), or a light red from Collioure for cooked dishes.
Since: 2004
Area covered: Commune of Collioure (processing area)
Key requirements: Species Engraulis encrasicolus, processing and filleting restricted to Collioure, minimum 3 months' ageing in barrels
Production under the PGI (IGP) label is currently suspended while the product specification is revised by the INAO; the Collioure houses nevertheless continue to produce using traditional methods.
Artisanal salting house
Artisanal curing house
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Maison Roque presents itself as an anchovy salter established in Collioure since 1870, carrying on the ancestral tradition of anchovy salting. It affirms that quality is its watchword, striving to respect this tradition whilst bringing its own touch of innovation and developing its savoir-faire.
| Address | 17 Rte d'Argelès, 66190 Collioure, France |
| +33 4 68 82 04 99 | |
| anchois-roque.fr | |
| Visits | Yes — workshop visits by appointment, anchovy tasting |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 2016. |
