THE ANCHOVY Elaboration process of the anchovy
Anchovies Fillets
Commerce and consumers
If you have your own shop, restaurant, tapas bar etc or you are a final consumer and you are interested in our products, please feel free to contact us, and we will bring you in contact with your nearest distributor.
| Elaboration process of anchovy filets |
|
  Â
   Â
  Â
   Â
Small fish with low fat rate ------------------60 Kilos Small fish with high fat rate -----------------80 Kilos Big fish with low fat rate----------------------60 Kilos
Big fish with high fat rate--------------------100 Kilos  Â
 After 15 days they change the top layer of salt (Pastón) and start adding clean salt and clean brine, leaving them as before, but with half of the weight on the top. Approximately one month after starting the maturation, they take a sample to analyse the salt content, heavy metals and the microbiology.   After 3 months they following up the maturation, and observe the taste, colour, texture and aroma of the anchovy. When the taste is fatty and the texture is hard and the meat is easy to take of the spine, they start to take out some of the weight. After they attain a light brown colour, taste, smell, which are characteristic of that of an anchovy, they will be moved into a conservation room. This room is kept on room temperature of between 6 and 8 degrees, in this way the maturation process is stopped. From here on the anchovies are ready for further elaboration. At this point we have obtained the first product of the anchovy: "El Salazon" (anchovy in brine)
  Â
  Â
 Â
  Â
The sealing process controls that: > That there is no possibility of air or water entering the package > That the liquid covers completely the product. If water or air enters, there is a high chance of contaminating the product- this could lead in in the worst case to danger of health. Â Cleaning and drying of the packages After sealing control and the other controls, the packages are washed and dried. Our technical department samples every production and checks for characteristics such as whiteness of that particular production. They will be physical and chemical analyses of every production lot, we safe all these details. Samples are analysed again before the products leave the factory. Afterwards the products that need to be packed in carton or any other packing , because of their storage and distribution, undergo extra examination to control any possible errors in their final packaging. Â The final product is stored and distributed at a chilled temperature. All products indicate on their package, how they must be maintained, conform with the European Standards on the labelling, presenting, comercialising of food products. Â |
When the anchovies come fresh from the sea, they are taken directly into factory.
The anchovies go straight into the preserving salt to hold their freshness for a day or so.
After being taken out of the plastic tanks, the heads and digestive tracts are removed, after which they are classified according to size, they are washed again in brine to avoid possible organic residue.
They take the anchovy "by handfuls" and they put them in plastic barrels - with a capacity of 275 kgs.
A light layer of salt is deposited at the bottom, then the first layer of anchovies ¨by handsfuls- then a new layer of salt, following this "rhythm" till the barrel is almost filled. Then a piece of plastic is put at the top and another 30-40 cm of anchovies with a layer of 2 cm of salt at the top- this method is called Pastón.
The next day , they take away the plastic ring , hereby finishes the process of filling the barrel.
The barrels are transported from the maturation section to the transformation section. To transform the anchovy in brine into a anchovy fillet, the first part of this process is to introduce warm water to remove the skin and salt.
After the anchovy is drained, they are arranged on the top of table on the top of a broiler of stainless steel, and put in a centrifuge and depending on the fat percentage and size of the fish, the fish is kept in longer or shorter time. The fish is then placed in plastic baskets and passed through to the filleting section .
The anchovy is filleted by hand: the fish is opened through the back, taking out all spines, and the clean fillets are placed in the package. Before sealing, the packages are weighed -resulting in proper weights for all packages.(During the weighing process there is a cleaning and control of the packages at the same time.)
After the packages are filled , they are filled with oil and automatically sealed.
The products are packed waterproof when subjected to normal pressures.