"What do anchovies taste like?
My dad eats sardines. When Mom's not around, he eats them in the TV room. When she's home, he has to go out on the back porch.
I tried them once when I was little and didn't like them, but my palate has matured and I might take to 'em now."
Anchovies have an intense flavor that is both salty and fishy. If you think of sardines, just magnify the fishiness by a factor of about 5.
Not a lot of people actually eat anchovies by themselves, although anchovy filets wrapped around a caper is one of my favorite appetizers.
For most people, they're best used as a flavoring ingredient, as in the aoili recipe above. It's probably an acquired taste, although I've always liked them.
My wife will not eat them, and kissing is out of the question until I've brushed my teeth.
I suspect you will not like them, to tell you the truth, if you didn't like sardines. Try sardines again. If there's still a yuck factor, skip the anchovies.
This is all about tinned anchovies. In Italy, you can find fresh anchovies...tiny little silvery fish. That's a very different thing. They're quite good and not at all like canned anchovies. Same with fresh sardines, also an Italian specialty.
There's a famous Veal recipe from Vienna that has anchovies and lamb kidneys rolled into a veal roast. The roast is cooked extremely slow and the kidney/anchovy combination melts into a sauce.
The dish is absolutely delicious - no one would be able to guess the ingredients by the taste.
Talk about a good combination (to me anyway):
I really enjoy a thin crust 'Deluxe' / 'Supreme ' / 'The Works' pizza with anchovies and jalapenos. Every person I've convinced to try a slice, well....they really appreciate the combo of flavors.
"...although anchovy filets wrapped around a caper is one of my favorite appetizers."
Ever had olives stuffed with minced anchovies? I've only seen them as Spanish imports, but they are delicious. Somehow the combination tames both flavors. You must get people to try it before you tell them what it is.