You either love them or you want to launch them into the sun. There is no middle ground. For decades, the little silver fish has been the punchline of every "weird pizza topping" joke, usually depicted in cartoons as a smelly, hairy disaster that ruins a perfectly good cheese pie. But if you walk into a high-end artisanal pizzeria in Brooklyn or a traditional spot in Naples, you’ll see people paying extra for them. It makes you wonder. Are anchovies on pizza good, or have we all just been conditioned to hate something we haven’t actually tried—or at least, haven’t tried correctly?
The reputation is bad. Really bad. We’re talking about a topping that has consistently ranked at the bottom of consumer preference surveys for years. According to a 2019 YouGov poll, anchovies were the most disliked pizza topping in America, with 61% of respondents saying they flat-out hate them. That’s a lot of baggage for a tiny fish.
But here is the thing: food chemistry doesn't care about your childhood trauma from a bad slice of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-style pizza. When you break down the molecular structure of an anchovy, you aren't looking at "fishiness." You're looking at a concentrated bomb of glutamates. It’s pure, unadulterated umami.
The Umami Science Behind the Salt
Why do people put them on pizza in the first place? It isn't just tradition; it’s chemistry. Anchovies are packed with inosinic acid and glutamic acid. When these two compounds meet the glutamate already present in tomato sauce and parmesan cheese, they create a synergistic effect. It’s like turning up the volume on the entire pizza. The flavors don't just add up; they multiply.
Think about it this way. You probably use Worcestershire sauce in your burgers or stews, right? Guess what the primary ingredient in Worcestershire sauce is. Anchovies. You like Caesar dressing? Anchovies. You enjoy that deep, savory "X-factor" in Southeast Asian stir-fry? That’s fish sauce, which is basically fermented anchovy juice.
When people ask if anchovies on pizza are good, they are usually asking if the pizza will taste like a pier at low tide. If the pizza is made poorly, the answer is yes. If the anchovies are cheap, over-salted, and sitting in metallic-tasting oil from a tin that’s been on a shelf since 1994, it’s going to be gross. But a high-quality anchovy—specifically something like a Cetara anchovy or a Cantabrian fillet—melts into the sauce. It disappears. You don't even see it, but you taste a depth of flavor that a standard pepperoni slice just can't touch.
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Why Quality Is the Only Thing That Matters
Most of us grew up eating "pizza parlor anchovies." These are usually the cheapest possible fillets, cured in far too much salt to make them shelf-stable for an eternity. They are tough, hairy, and aggressively salty. Honestly, they’re barely food.
If you want to know if anchovies on pizza are good, you have to look at the grade of the fish.
- The Supermarket Tin: These are usually $2.00. They are fine for a dressing where they get pulverized, but on a pizza, they stay intact and punch you in the face with salt.
- The Cantabrian Fillet: These come from the cold waters of the Bay of Biscay. They are fleshy, reddish-brown, and cured for months in sea salt before being packed in high-quality olive oil. They aren't "fishy." They are buttery.
- The White Anchovy (Boquerones): These are pickled in vinegar rather than salt-cured. Putting these on a pizza after it comes out of the oven provides a bright, acidic pop that cuts right through the heavy fat of the cheese.
If you’re at a place like Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix—often cited as having some of the best pizza in the world—Chris Bianco isn't using the hairy stuff from a dusty can. He’s using premium fillets that complement the acidity of the tomatoes.
The Cultural Divide: Naples vs. New York
In Italy, specifically in the birthplace of pizza, the idea of questioning whether anchovies belong on pizza is almost offensive. The Pizza Napoletana traditions often include the "Marinara" (which is just tomato, garlic, and oregano) or variations that include anchovies, capers, and olives. This combination is known as Putanesca style.
The saltiness of the fish balances the sweetness of the San Marzano tomatoes. It’s a classic pairing. In America, our palate shifted toward sugar and fat. We like sweet tomato sauce and greasy pepperoni. Because anchovies are bitter, salty, and pungent, they don't fit the "fast food" profile we’ve built for pizza.
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But things are changing. The "tinned fish" trend on TikTok and Instagram has actually started to rehabilitate the anchovy's image. Young foodies are discovering that "conservas" (high-end canned seafood) are actually a luxury item. Suddenly, putting a $15 tin of fish on a sourdough pizza crust isn't "gross"—it’s "aesthetic."
How to Actually Enjoy Them (If You're a Skeptic)
Don't just order a large cheese pizza and add anchovies. That’s a rookie mistake. The salt will overwhelm everything. If you want to see if anchovies on pizza are good, you need to build the pizza around them.
First, skip the extra salt. You don't need olives and anchovies and extra parmesan. Pick one or two salty elements. Second, use an acid. Squeeze a little lemon over the pizza when it comes out, or make sure there are some pickled peppers on there. The acid breaks down the heavy oil of the fish.
Third, and this is the "pro move," ask the kitchen to put the anchovies on after the pizza comes out of the oven. When anchovies are cooked at 800 degrees in a wood-fired oven, they can become intensely bitter and "bready." If you lay a cold, high-quality fillet onto a hot pizza, it starts to translucent and melt into the cheese without losing its delicate texture.
It's a game changer. Seriously.
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Common Misconceptions and the "Hairy" Factor
Let's address the elephant in the room. The "hairs." Those tiny little spikes you see on cheap anchovies are actually softened bones. In a high-quality, hand-cleaned fillet, those are almost non-existent. In a cheap tin, they are everywhere.
Is it dangerous? No. Is it weird? Yeah, a little bit. But if you’re eating small fish like sardines or anchovies, you’re getting a massive hit of calcium because of those bones.
There's also the "smell" issue. Fresh or properly cured anchovies don't actually smell "fishy" in a bad way. They should smell like the ocean—briny and clean. If a pizza arrives and it smells like a wet dog, that's not the fault of the anchovy as a concept; it's the fault of the restaurant using old, oxidized oil.
The Health Angle
If you can get past the taste, anchovies are arguably the healthiest thing you can put on a pizza. They are low on the food chain, which means they don't accumulate mercury the way larger fish like tuna do.
They are loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for heart health and brain function. Plus, they are a solid source of protein without the saturated fats you find in sausage or pepperoni. Basically, if you swap your meat-lovers pizza for an anchovy pizza, you’re doing your arteries a massive favor.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Slice
If you're ready to cross the line and try it, follow this progression to avoid a bad experience:
- The "Gateway" Method: Don't put the fish on the pizza. Instead, find a place that makes a "House Salad" with a real anchovy-based dressing. Get used to that savory kick.
- The Melt Method: Order a pizza with onions and olives, and ask for just two anchovy fillets to be chopped up and stirred into the sauce. You won't see them, but the sauce will suddenly taste "meatier."
- The Quality Test: Buy a jar (not a tin) of Agostino Recca or Ortiz anchovies. Make a frozen pizza at home, and put one fillet on a single slice. See how the flavor changes.
- The Full Experience: Go to a reputable Neapolitan pizzeria. Order the "Napoli" or "Siciliana." These usually come with capers, olives, and anchovies. The acidity of the capers is the key to making the anchovy work.
Whether or not anchovies on pizza are good is ultimately subjective, but the "hate" is often based on poor quality rather than the ingredient itself. Give the little fish a chance, but only if you're willing to pay for the good stuff. Cheap anchovies are a punishment; expensive anchovies are a revelation.