No Anchovies? What to Use Instead

Without anchovies (salted anchovy fillets), the closest flavour comes from fish sauce or capers with a pinch of sea salt; both carry anchovy's characteristic salty-umami note through to the base of sauces and sautés.

What role do anchovies play in a recipe?

Anchovies are used in Italian sauces and certain salad dressings (like Caesar) not to give an obvious fishy taste, but to leave a salty depth in the background; they're usually cooked in hot oil until they melt, so the fillets themselves disappear while the salty-umami base remains. That subtlety is what makes anchovies an ingredient many people eat without ever noticing.

So whatever replaces them needs to add a similar salty depth without leaving an obvious fishy taste.

Which alternative comes closest?

Fish sauce is the closest match for anchovies' flavour; used sparingly, a few drops give the same umami depth without leaving a noticeable fishy taste. Capers partly mimic anchovies' salty-tart side; finely chopped and used with a little sea salt, they add a similar character to the base of a sauce.

If fish sauce isn't wanted in a vegetarian dish either, a little soy sauce with a pinch of sea salt creates a similar salty-umami effect, even if it's not quite the same.

What should you watch out for?

When using fish sauce or capers, cut back on the salt elsewhere in the recipe — both are salty on their own, and adding extra salt on top can leave the dish oversalted. In allergy-conscious kitchens, fish sauce carries the same fish-allergy risk as anchovies, so capers or the soy sauce version are the safer choice for someone with a fish allergy.

Whichever you pick, start small and taste as you go; anchovies' salty-umami effect is strong, and too much of the substitute can easily throw a dish's balance off.

Can the oil or brine from anchovies be used too?

The oil in a tin of anchovies can be kept and used sparingly even after the anchovies themselves run out; it carries that same salty-fish aroma, so a few drops in a sauce add a bit of depth to a dish that has no anchovies at all. It's worth remembering this before tossing the tin once the fillets are gone.

Fish sauce is usually sold in small bottles that last a long time, so it doesn't run out as quickly as anchovies — that makes it a more practical pantry staple for kitchens that only reach for anchovies occasionally.

Personal taste plays a role among anchovy substitutes too; some kitchens prefer capers' tartness over fish sauce's heavier saltiness, so it's worth trying both in small amounts before settling on one.

Most anchovy substitutes need to be kept in the fridge, not at room temperature; once opened, fish sauce and capers should also be used within a few weeks.

Once opened, a bottle of fish sauce should be kept somewhere cool and out of direct light; sunlight can degrade its flavour over time.