Cooking
Substitute for Anchovy Paste
Mash about 1½ anchovy fillets for each teaspoon of anchovy paste, or use ½ tsp fish sauce. For vegan Caesar, white miso with mashed capers fills the gap.
- vegetarian
- vegan options
Quick answer
Out of anchovy paste? The most versatile swaps:
- 1
Anchovy fillets, mashed
About 1½ fillets for 1 tsp paste, plus a pinch of salt
- 2
Fish sauce
½ tsp fish sauce for 1 tsp paste
- 3
White miso + capers
½ tsp white miso + ½ tsp mashed capers for 1 tsp paste
Anchovy paste is salt-cured anchovies ground smooth with oil and extra salt. In a recipe it is rarely meant to taste of fish. A teaspoon dissolves into a sauce or dressing and makes it more savory and rounder, the way a pinch of salt makes food taste more of itself. The paste form matters too: it disappears into an emulsion where chopped fillets would leave specks.
Dressings and cold sauces
In Caesar dressing, salsa verde and herb butter the paste is raw, so the swap has to blend in completely. Mashed fillets work if they are worked to a true paste with salt; a mortar or the side of a chef’s knife does it in a minute. A canned fillet weighs about 4 grams in USDA data, which is why roughly 1½ fillets stand in for a level teaspoon.
For a vegan or vegetarian Caesar, white miso with capers gives both the savory depth and the briny sharpness. Rinse the capers first if they are salt-packed, or the dressing tips over into salty.
Cooked sauces and braises
In puttanesca, a lamb braise or a tomato sauce, the paste is usually melted into hot oil at the start. Fillets do the same job; they break down in a minute or two over medium heat. Fish sauce works here too, added with the tomatoes or wine instead of the oil, because it spatters in hot fat. Worcestershire suits meatballs and gravy, where its tang fits.
When not to substitute
Bagna cauda is essentially warm anchovies, garlic and oil; without fish it is a different dish. Use fillets or skip it.
Anchovy paste and every fish-based swap are off-limits with a fish allergy. Worcestershire counts as one of them, since the original contains anchovies.
Common mistakes
- Using fish sauce teaspoon for teaspoon. It is thinner and its salt is more concentrated, so dressings end up runny and salty.
- Leaving fillets in chunks in a raw dressing. The flavor arrives in fishy bursts instead of spreading through.
- Adding miso straight to cold oil. It will not dissolve; whisk it into the lemon juice or vinegar first.
- Forgetting the extra salt in the paste. With fillets or capers, taste the finished sauce and season.
All 4 substitutes at a glance
| Substitute | Ratio | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchovy fillets, mashed CookingRaw & finishing | About 1½ fillets for 1 tsp paste, plus a pinch of salt | Caesar dressing, puttanesca, bagna cauda, lamb rubs | The same fish, minus the extra salt and the smooth grind. Drain, chop, then mash with the flat of a knife and a pinch of salt until it turns to paste. |
| Fish sauce CookingRaw & finishing | ½ tsp fish sauce for 1 tsp paste | pan sauces, braises, vinaigrettes, tomato sauces | Fermented anchovy and salt in liquid form, so the flavor is right but it adds liquid and no body. Its sodium is concentrated; using it one-to-one oversalts small batches. |
| White miso + capers CookingRaw & finishing | ½ tsp white miso + ½ tsp mashed capers for 1 tsp paste | vegan Caesar, salsa verde, pasta sauces | Miso gives the savory, fermented depth and paste texture; capers bring the briny, sharp edge. No fish note at all. Vegan, but the miso contains soy. |
| Worcestershire sauce CookingRaw & finishing | 2 tsp Worcestershire for 1 tsp paste | marinades, meatballs, Bloody Mary, gravy | Contains anchovy, but diluted in vinegar and molasses, so the fish flavor is faint and the result is tangier and slightly sweet. Cut 2 tsp of other liquid or acid from the recipe. |
Substitute calculator
How much anchovy paste does your recipe call for?
- Anchovy fillets, mashed1½ oil-packed anchovy fillets
- Fish sauce½ tsp fish sauce
- White miso + capers½ tsp white miso + ½ tsp capers, rinsed and mashed
- Worcestershire sauce2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Amounts are rounded to practical kitchen measures. Swaps without a fixed ratio, or that can't be measured in the unit you picked, show their ratio instead.
Topics: anchovyumamicaesarfish saucesavory All cooking guides
Frequently asked questions
How many anchovy fillets equal a tablespoon of anchovy paste?
About four or five. Each oil-packed fillet weighs about 4 grams in USDA data, and mashed, one fills roughly three-quarters of a teaspoon. Add a pinch of salt, because tube pastes are usually saltier than the fillets alone.
Is anchovy paste the same as fish sauce?
Both are anchovies plus salt, but paste is ground fish meat with oil and keeps its body, while fish sauce is the liquid drawn off during long fermentation. Paste thickens a dressing; fish sauce only seasons it.
Can I leave anchovy paste out?
In a dish where it is one seasoning among many, such as a beef stew, yes; add salt to taste. In Caesar dressing, puttanesca or bagna cauda it is a main flavor, and leaving it out makes the dish taste flat. Use a swap instead.
How long does an opened tube of anchovy paste last?
Follow the date and storage line on the tube. Keep it refrigerated and capped tightly. The high salt content slows spoilage but does not stop it, and a rancid smell from the oil means it should be thrown out.
Sources
- Fish, anchovy, european, canned in oil, drained solids (FDC ID 174183), USDA FoodData Central
- Sauce, fish, ready-to-serve (FDC ID 174531), USDA FoodData Central
- Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce The Original (ingredient list), City Market Onion River Co-op
More cooking substitutes
Substitute for Fish Sauce
No fish sauce? Use 1 tbsp soy sauce plus ¼ tsp salt per tablespoon, mashed anchovies for real fish depth, or coconut aminos with salt if avoiding soy.
ReadSubstitute for Oyster Sauce
Swap oyster sauce 1:1 with vegetarian mushroom stir-fry sauce, or mix 1½ tsp soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar and 1½ tsp water per tablespoon so it isn't too salty.
ReadSubstitute for Worcestershire Sauce
Replace 1 tbsp Worcestershire with 1 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp cider vinegar and ½ tsp brown sugar, or use steak sauce 1:1. Anchovy-free and Caesar options too.
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Substitute for Garlic
No fresh garlic? Use ⅛ tsp garlic powder or ¼ tsp granulated garlic per clove, or 1 tsp jarred minced. Shallot or asafoetida suit garlic-free cooking.
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