Papa Murphy's Anchovies

Papa Murphy's anchovies are high in histamine. They are salt cured fish, and salt curing a protein-rich fish is one of the most reliable ways histamine forms and stays.

Why papa murphy's anchovies are rated high

The topping is just three things: anchovy, olive oil and salt. Everything about the rating comes from the first one. Anchovies are packed in salt and left to cure for a long stretch before they are ever tinned, and during that time bacteria work on the histidine in the fish protein and turn it into histamine. That histamine does not go anywhere afterward. In the validated scoring this topping tracks with canned tuna, which sits high for the same reason: a protein-rich fish that has been preserved rather than eaten fresh. The olive oil and the salt add nothing to the total on their own.

What changes your risk

• The anchovy is the entire story — of the three published ingredients, only the fish carries histamine. Olive oil is a fresh fat and salt is a mineral, so neither adds to or subtracts from the level.
• The histamine formed long before the fish arrived — curing happens at the supplier over weeks or months, not at the counter. Nothing about how recently the tin was opened changes what is already in the fillets.
• Baking does not undo it — heat kills bacteria, but it does not remove histamine that has already formed. A hot anchovy is the same as a cold one on this score.
• Time on the counter is not the lever here — with most protein foods, warm holding is the thing to watch. With a cured fish the level was set during the cure, so holding time is a much smaller factor than the curing itself.
• A scattering of fillets is still cured fish — using fewer does not turn it into a different ingredient. This is a high item at any amount, and it is not a food to try to work around by portion.

Lower-histamine alternatives

The lower-histamine choices on this menu are Chicken, Onion Mix and Zesty Herb Blend. If what you want from anchovies is savory depth, Zesty Herb Blend and Onion Mix are the two that bring flavor without the cured fish, and Chicken is the lower protein topping to build around instead.

How to lower the risk

This is a build-to-order counter, so the topping decision happens at the moment you order rather than after. Nothing is published as removable from the anchovy topping itself, so it is genuinely an all-or-nothing ingredient: it is anchovy, olive oil and salt as listed. If you are ordering for a group and someone wants anchovies, keeping them to a separate pizza rather than one shared pie is the practical move, since anchovy oil and salt spread across whatever they touch.

Common questions

Are anchovies high in histamine?

Yes. They are salt cured fish, and curing a protein-rich fish is a classic setup for histamine forming and staying in the food.

Does baking the pizza reduce the histamine in the anchovies?

No. Cooking kills bacteria but does not break down histamine that has already formed during curing.

Are fresh anchovies different from these?

Fresh fish handled cold and eaten quickly is a different situation from cured fish, but what is on this menu is the salt cured, oil packed topping, and that is what the high rating covers.

What can I order at Papa Murphy's instead?

Chicken, Onion Mix and Zesty Herb Blend are the lower items on this menu.