The European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) changes its name depending on how we cook it. If it is fresh, and we flour and fry it at home, it will be a 'seitó'. There are fishermen who claim that there is no need to even flour it, just fry it directly with extra virgin olive oil and that is enough. When eating it, use your hands, because that crunch of the fish is good to eat without the use of a fork and knife. If we salt it, so that it is preserved for a long time, the 'seitó' transforms into an anchovy. There are fishermen who claim that there is no need to even flour it, fried directly with extra virgin olive oil and that is enough. When eating it, use your hands, because that crunch of the fish is good to eat without the use of a fork and knife. If we salt it, so that it is preserved for a long time, the 'seitó' transforms into an anchovy. One of the most prized recipes is that of Cadaqués, like that of the chef Albert Raurich, who explains it and details the differences with respect to what the author Josep Pla left written. And if we were now clear that there are two names for the same fish depending on how we prepare it, in Llançà, chef Lluís Fernández cooks one of the most desired fish stews, the anchovy one. He cooks it just as the fishermen of Llançà used to do: without potatoes, with cloves of garlic. It is a stew with fresh fish, but in Llançà they call it an anchovy. So the theory that the 'seitó' and the anchovy are different depending on whether it is fresh or salted disappears in Llançà, because when it is fresh, they already call it anchovy. And when it is salted, too.

It's eight o'clock in the morning on a Friday with a good summer sea, and the bluefish boats, which have been working in the darkness, have already unloaded the crates of sardines and anchovies at the fishing dock. They arrived punctually, around 7:30 a.m., and even more punctual is the flat screen, like a television, that has quickly switched on on the dock itself. The screen shows the auction price for the crates. No one is calling out their prices, no voices are raised saying "I'll take these." There is only silence and cell phones. And a strong smell of the salty sea, mingling with that of the fresh sardines sticking out of the crates.