Fresh anchovies filleted and cured in vinegar, garlic and parsley until white and silky, served cold in olive oil as one of Málaga's most classic tapas.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Boquerones, fresh anchovies, are so tied to Málaga that locals are nicknamed boquerones. The vinegar cure preserved the abundant, delicate fish before refrigeration and softened the flesh without cooking it. Málaga also eats them fried whole in a fan (boquerones fritos) and, historically, the larger boquerones victorianos from the bay. The vinegar version is a fixture of the vermouth hour, cold and dressed with raw garlic, parsley and good oil.
Common allergens: Fish
Tip from the editors. The 48-hour freeze is non-negotiable for safety with raw-cured anchovies; never skip it.
Why locals love it: The city's oldest tavern, open since 1840, where sweet wine still comes from the barrel and your tab is chalked straight on the wood.
Tip: Stand at the bar and order a Pajarete; watch the barman chalk your total on the counter.
Bodegas Quitapenas is a century-old Málaga bodega on Calle Marín García, pouring local wines and vermouth beside boquerones and fried anchovies.
Signature pour: A copa of Málaga wine with a plate of boquerones
Wine focus: Málaga wines and vermouth from a century-old bodega
La Casa del Piyayo is a cheap, tucked-away tapas tavern on Málaga's Calle Granada, plating porra antequerana and boquerones by the plate at the counter.
Try: Porra antequerana and boquerones
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