Anchovy (canned)

Why anchovy (canned) is rated low

Canned anchovy is low FODMAP, and that rating is estimated from what it is made of rather than a measured serving. The fish is essentially protein and fat, cured with salt and packed in oil or brine, and canning adds nothing fermentable, so a typical portion comes in low. The real variable is not the anchovy but what it is packed with and what it goes into. A sauce in the can, or the garlic and onion in the dish it ends up in, can change the picture entirely.

What changes your risk

• What the can is packed in Anchovies in plain oil or salt are what the low rating covers. Anchovies packed in a sauce, or with garlic, onion or a seasoning blend added, are a different product, so read the label before assuming the low rating applies.
• Draining and rinsing Draining plain anchovies mainly removes the packing oil, and a rinse takes off some of the salt. Draining and rinsing is not a way to make a sauced can low: anchovies packed with garlic, onion or a seasoned sauce fall outside this rating, so choose a plain can instead.
• Cooking Melting anchovies into a hot pan does not change their rating. Heat neither adds nor removes FODMAPs, so the low rating holds whether they are eaten straight from the can or cooked down.
• The dish around them Anchovies are a classic partner for garlic and onion: Caesar dressing, puttanesca sauce, tapenade-style spreads and pizza on an ordinary wheat base. Those companions, not the fish, decide whether the meal stays low.
• Pastes and blends Anchovy paste and anchovy-based sauces may contain more than fish and salt. The low rating here is for plain canned anchovy, so check those labels separately.

What else works

Other plain canned fish such as sardines, tuna and salmon in oil, water or brine are similarly simple, and like anchovy their low standing depends on the can holding nothing but fish, oil, salt or water. The lookalikes to treat with care are anchovies in sauce, flavoured anchovies, ready-made Caesar dressing, and jarred puttanesca or pasta sauces, which commonly contain garlic and onion. To keep the savoury punch anchovy gives a dish, pair it with garlic-infused oil, chives, the green tops of spring onions, capers or parmesan rather than garlic cloves or onion.

How to keep it low

Buy anchovies packed in plain olive oil or salt, and check the ingredient list for garlic, onion or seasoning; if any are listed, pick a different can rather than trying to rinse them off. Drain off the packing oil before using, and give salt-packed anchovies a quick rinse to take the edge off the salt. For a pan sauce, warm garlic-infused oil, melt the drained anchovy into it, and finish with chives or the green parts of spring onions. For a Caesar-style dressing, whisk drained anchovy with garlic-infused oil, lemon juice and parmesan instead of using a bottled dressing. Once opened, keep leftover anchovies covered in oil in a sealed container in the fridge.

Common questions

are canned anchovies low fodmap

Yes. Plain canned anchovy is rated low at any typical portion, estimated from what it is made of, since it is fish, oil and salt with nothing fermentable added.

should i drain and rinse canned anchovies on low fodmap

For plain anchovies in oil or salt, draining removes the oil and a rinse cuts the salt; neither is needed for the low rating. Anchovies packed in a sauce with garlic or onion are not covered by the low rating, and rinsing does not change that, so choose a plain can instead.

is anchovy paste low fodmap

It depends on the label. The low rating applies to plain canned anchovy, and some pastes and blends add other ingredients, so check for garlic, onion or seasoning.

how do i make low fodmap caesar dressing with anchovies

Use drained anchovy with garlic-infused oil, lemon juice and parmesan instead of garlic cloves. Bottled Caesar dressings commonly contain garlic and onion, so making it yourself keeps it low.