Daggone Canned Anchovies Go Bad 2 1/2 Years Before Expiry Date

I wanted to make a Caesar salad dressing because the ones from the store all use seed or soybean oils, and I wanted to use olive oil for mine. So, we went to Whole Foods yesterday to get my A2 milk (from Guernsey cows) and I also got some anchovies for the salad dressing, as well as the fresh cauliflower they had on sale for Prime members.
When I smelled the open can of anchovies, they smelled weird to me, so I took them to Chef Bobby to get an expert opinion. He said they smelled okay to him, so maybe it was just the olive oil they were packed in or not as much salt as usual.
The can says they are good until July 2024, but the lid spewed out oil when I started to open it.

I made the dressing and had the Caesar salad yesterday for dinner and obviously, I am still here and doing fine today, so I didn’t get food poisoning; but I would like to know how you could tell that your anchovies were bad, @John Brunner . Was it the taste, the smell, how the can opened, or some other thing ?
These are Roland brand, wild caught anchovies with olive oil and salt added. I smelled them again today and they still smell bad, so I threw them in the garbage can.

 

Thank you, @Don Alaska ! I bought two cans, and so I just looked at the other can, and it seems deformed, like it had some smashing in transport maybe.
I think I will save my store receipts and if this other one smells as bad as the first one did, I will take it back to the store for a refund.
I will probably throw out my Caesar dressing also, just in case. It does not taste bad, but it does not taste very good either, but the garlic masks most of the other flavors, as does the lemon juice and even the olive oil has a strong taste.

 

Those anchovies I had may have been perfectly fine, Yvonne. As I may have mentioned, the King Oscar website says that the can may bulge over time due to harmless natural bacteria, and the anchovies are still good. I didn't even try to smell them. I was unwilling to take the risk. I'll not worry about picking something up off of the floor and popping it into my mouth, but I don't take risks with food poisoning. That's interesting that Bobby said yours were OK.

I bought a jar of expensive anchovies once...at Whole Foods now that you mention it. They came with a tiny olive fork so you could eat them out of the jar. The problem was that they had no flavor. I don't like strong anchovy taste, but you gotta get something for your money. I had put them on a pizza and couldn't even tell that they were there. (This was part of my recycling through food dislikes to see if my tastes have changed phase.)

Next time I won't buy the 2 pak and will use all of a single can. Or maybe I'll freeze them. I guess I could always use the paste that comes in a tube. But I'll not take risks with bulging cans.

 

That's an interesting point. I can see where the integrity of the pop-top cans might not be all that great. And the anchovy tins have the flap that's scored through the center of the lid...it's not even sealed at the lid/body seam.

 

Perhaps I misinterpreted. (This is why I stopped telling blond jokes.)

This is from the King Oscar website:

A SEMI-PERISHABLE PRODUCT
Because anchovy fillets are traditionally preserved in salt, without other additives or preservatives, they are considered semi-perishable. A naturally occurring, harmless bacterium can live through the brining process, and as a result, over time anchovies can break down and become soft and mushy. A byproduct of this process is a gas that may also cause the cans to puff or expand. Anchovies from a puffy can or that appear mushy will not meet your taste expectations and may cause abdominal discomfort if consumed. Of course, we strongly discourage consumers from eating anchovies that are mushy, have an atypical or unexpected odor, or come from bloated cans.

The way they soft-peddled it without saying DO NOT EAT made me think it was a normal thing. I'm still not sure what the message is. As I said, mine were 2 1/2 years away from the expiry date.

A couple of places said to keep them in a room-temp pantry for one year max. Even then, the only stated issue was that the texture would break down. I found an article that says because anchovies are only salted to preserve them (they are not cooked), you should keep the unopened cans in the fridge (they are good in the fridge for 2 months after opening.) That's where I stored my jarred ones, but only because they had already been opened. This is a tough subject to research because adjectives such as "swell" and "bloat" refer to cans and to humans.

I found a valueless YouTube video on this (the guy had a swelled can of anchovies, said he called the manufacturer, then said he called his "chef buddies" who said to toss the can, but he never told us what the manufacturer said; however, I found this in the comments section:

No!! This is an example of the misinformation and hysteria that is rampant on the internet. The bulging is not produced by Clostridium Botulinum, the bacteria that causes botulism. The anchovies are a semi-perishable product and bulging is caused by non toxic bacteria that survive the brining process. The anchovies do not have a long shelf life and as they are breaking down, the gas is produced, causing the bulging. This is not at all uncommon and many cans of anchovies are unknowingly consumed as the slight bulging is not redily noticed. When anchovies are good to eat, the bottom of the can will actually be indented and when there is bulging I toss the can because the anchovies will have become mushy. This is not a health issue but a quality issue. Some companies mention that their anchovies should be kept in a cool place and in the refrigerator, the shelf life may be extended to about 18 months. With the brining process used, the salt content and the pH (acidic), the conditions are not there to have viable spores of Clostridium Botulinum.

 

Your lips are luscious but your breath smells like Sardinia.

 

I'm thinking that canned anchovies would be bad regardless.