Discover colatura di alici, Italy’s fish sauce adding zing to dishes worldwide
Originally from the Amalfi Coast, colatura is made from anchovies that are cured in salt to produce a strong, distinctive flavour
Italian food writer Cristina Rombolà explains that colatura di alici has been around for a long time, but has become globally popular only recently thanks to a combination of the Slow Food movement, Michelin-starred chefs using the artisanal product, and even appearances on culinary shows like MasterChef.
“Despite its longevity, for many years colatura di alici was overlooked because it was thought to be made from rotten anchovies,” she explains. “It has now become popular for several reasons, which I believe are attributable to the popularity of individual chefs that has led to wider coverage of food in the media, including its production.”
A small 50ml bottle of colatura, also nicknamed “Parmesan of the sea”, can cost 30 euros (HK$276). Delfino Battista, a family company started just after World War II, is now considered the premier brand, still using the same recipe introduced by founder Pasquale Battista.
The village overlooks the Gulf of Salerno, where anchovies flourish. Caught in nets, the anchovies are then gutted and their heads removed. The fish are then submerged in saltwater for 12 hours before being cured with salt.
“This involves packing the anchovies tightly in alternating layers of Trapani coarse salt in small wooden casks covered with a wooden lid, on which a heavy stone is placed to press the fish,” Rombolà says.
The combination of pressure and salt causes the fish to dehydrate and slowly ferment, with the resulting liquid being colatura.