Kenny Belov thinks you’re eating anchovies wrong. “You’re putting poor quality anchovies on poor quality pizza, it’s as simple as that,” says Belov, owner of sustainable seafood company provider TwoXSea. “Unfortunately, that’s most Americans experiences with anchovies.”
While working in restaurants, Belov found it surprising how difficult it was for fishmongers in the Bay Area to answer questions about how their fish was sourced. “Fish is constantly mislabeled for the sale,” says Belov. Through his San Francisco-based company, he now has a goal of raising the profile of anchovies and building the city’s anchovy market.
Anchovies have an extremely short shelf life due to their fat content and oil content. Through Belov’ss process, though, restaurants are able to get fresh anchovies two hours after they’re caught and on the menu that day. “For us, it’s very important that it’s a fresh offering every day from its live form to the restaurant,” he says. Watch the full video to see how Belov works with local fisherman and restaurant owners to provide them with the highest quality anchovies.