How many calories are in anchovies?

One fillet is about 4g and 8 calories, so the five that go into a dressing come to 42. Per 100g, drained anchovies canned in oil are 210 calories, close to sardines at 208 calories per 100g. Nobody eats 100g of them, which is rather the point: the flavour arrives in 20g.

Why are anchovies so salty?

Because salt is how they are preserved. The fish are packed in salt for months before they are filleted and tinned, and the drained fillets still carry 3,668mg of sodium per 100g, twelve times sardines at 307mg of sodium per 100g. Five fillets are around 734mg, already a third of a 2,300mg daily limit.

Are anchovies healthy?

Yes, with the salt as the standing caveat. 28.9g of protein per 100g, 9.7g of fat per 100g of which 2.6g is polyunsaturated, and 232mg of calcium per 100g from bones soft enough that you never notice them. The portion is small enough that the calories never matter and the sodium always does.

Are anchovies keto-friendly?

Completely. 0g of carbs per 100g and 28.9g of protein per 100g put them among the cleanest keto foods on any shelf, and the oil they are packed in adds fat rather than carbohydrate. Watch the sodium instead of the macros: 3,668mg per 100g is what constrains a portion.

Anchovies vs sardines: what is the difference?

Size and salt. Both are small oily fish tinned whole, but anchovies are cured in salt and sardines are not, which is why anchovies carry 3,668mg of sodium per 100g against sardines at 307mg of sodium per 100g. Calories are nearly identical, 210 calories per 100g here against sardines at 208 calories per 100g, and sardines carry more calcium at 382mg of calcium per 100g.

Do you have to eat anchovies whole?

No, and most people never do. Dropped into a hot pan with oil and garlic they dissolve completely and leave savoury depth rather than fish flavour, which is what they are doing in puttanesca, Caesar dressing and most Italian braises. One or two fillets at 8 calories each disappear into a dish for four.

Are anchovies high in mercury?

They are among the lowest of any fish. Anchovies are small, short lived and eat plankton, so they sit near the bottom of the food chain where mercury has not had time to accumulate. The FDA lists them in its best-choices category, alongside sardines and salmon.

Are anchovies good for weight loss?

Indirectly. At 210 calories per 100g they are not light by weight, but nobody eats them by weight: five fillets are 42 calories and carry enough flavour to season a whole dish, which is how they replace butter or cheese in a sauce. Keep the portion small for the sodium, not for the calories.

How long does an opened tin keep?

Three to five days in the fridge, covered in its own oil in a non-metal container. The oil is the seal, and fillets left dry go leathery within a day. An unopened tin keeps for a year or more, and salt-packed anchovies in a jar keep longer still.

All Foods

Calories in Anchovies

USDA Verified · FDC 174183 · Aug 2026

42 calories

per 5 anchovy fillets (20g)

28.9g

Protein

Carbs

9.7g

Fat

Fiber

Per 100g cooked

Log Anchovies in one photo

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