Try a tin fish dish that goes beyond typical tuna

• Spaghetti with sardines, lemon and pine nuts
• Tinned fish and vegetable nori sushi rolls
• Sardine and egg sandwich

They look like book covers, so appealing you think you want to read every one. Colorful, splashy, graphic, bright, fresh. But what I’m focused on here are the labels on tins of fish from all over the world that are all the rage.

Tinned fish? Yup. It’s not what you think.

When I was young, tinned fish was what we had when there was not much left in the pantry. Tuna fish mixed with mayonnaise and celery, spooned onto squishy white bread. My mother made a dip from tinned clams mixed with cream cheese and Worcestershire sauce. And sometimes, if guests were coming to dinner, she would serve tinned sardines or smoked mussels with Ritz crackers.

In my late teens, when I first became seriously interested in cooking, I discovered anchovies in a big way. Full of umami and capable of turning any dish into something with a real POW factor, I was hooked. OK, so tuna, sardines, and anchovies. But wait, there’s more.

Today, markets and gourmet food shops are filled with a vast array of tinned fish, also called conserva or conservas (Spanish for “preserved”), from around the world. Having a few tins of fish in your pantry can make putting together a last-minute meal or appetizer really simple and appealing.

Tinned fish in American shops now comes from around the globe: Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Asia, the U.S., and more.  It comes packed plain, in olive oil and spices, sauces, and more. The ingredient listings are as creative as the labels.

Many cooks don’t realize that tinned fish is packed at the peak of freshness (usually within 24 to 48 hours of being caught) and because it’s packed, in many cases, with extra virgin olive oil, premium herbs and spices, vinegar, garlic, tomato sauce, etc. the fish continues to stay moist, fresh, and develop flavor over time, almost like wine that continues to age and deepen in flavor as it sits in a cellar.

In terms of health, canned fish has a lot going for it. It’s a lean protein with Vitamin B-12 and D, Omega-3 fatty acids, iron and calcium.

I have tried dozens of brands in the past few months and have become a bit obsessed with tinned fish. I open them and spread on crisp bread or buttered toast for a quick breakfast or lunch, add them to sandwiches, salads, pasta, egg dishes – even a quick sushi roll. Here are a few recommended brands to look for (along with mail-order information) followed by three new recipes that give you a quick glimpse of the range of ways tinned fish can be used.

A few tinned fish tips: 

• Many tinned fish come packed in olive oil, sauces or packed with herbs and spices. In general, do not throw this oil or sauce away. It is loaded with flavor and can be used in pasta sauces, vinaigrettes or as a dip for crusty bread.
• If tinned fish is packed in an inferior oil, you can rinse it off or pat it dry.
• Store tinned fish in a cool, dry pantry or cupboard out of direct sunlight.
• Once tinned fish or anchovies have been opened, they should be kept in the refrigerator covered for at least 4 to 5 days. Best bet is to transfer the fish (not anchovies) from the tin to a bowl or glass jar with the oil from the can. Anchovies last far longer. Check for mold or an off-putting smell before using it after that.

A few favorite brands of tinned fish (conservas):

• BELA took tinned fish to a new level when Air Force veteran Joshua Scherz and his late mother, Florence (a French-trained chef), founded the company in 1997.  Packed at a centuries-old Portuguese cannery at peak freshness, BELA tinned fish has an exceptionally clean, delicate flavor and texture and is reasonably priced. Every tin is packed in organic, cold-pressed Iberian olive oil and the oil and juices from these tins should not be discarded; great to dip crusty bread in and add to salads, and sandwiches and pasta.
• Gulf of Maine Conserva is run by Keper Connell, a native of Rye, New Hampshire, and a lifelong waterman. He is dedicated to the sustainability of all ocean resources. All products are caught sustainably with artisanal methods from their boat, a 45-foot fishing vessel named Figment. They sell tinned bluefin tuna, tinned mackerel, and smoked eel.
• Fishwife began in 2015 when CEO and cofounder Becca Millstein was living abroad in Spain and was inspired by the variety of tinned fish found in Spain and Portugal. Fishwife now has canneries across Washington State, Spain, Denmark and Scotland. Look for smoked salmon, smoked rainbow trout, mussels, sardines, tuna, anchovies and more.
• Patagonia Provisions sells tins of spiced mussels, anchovies, smoked mackerel, and salmon. Patagonia is far better known for its clothing line, but they bring sustainable sourcing and responsible harvesting practices to this line of tinned fish.
• Ramon Pena Tinned Fish  fresh fish from the Galician Estuaries since 1920. Look for their canned squid, sardines, garfish, and mussels.
• ABC+ is a small Portuguese business that combines high-quality fish with spices and flavors. Look for sardines, trout, octopus, and bacalhau.
• Minnow has a really meaty, superb canned trout, salmon, mussels, trout and more.

Spaghetti with sardines, lemon, pine nuts, anchovy-pine-nut-breadcrumb topping

Canned sardines, despite popular belief, can be quite mild and almost meaty. Here they are mixed with lemon juice, lemon zest, buttery pine nuts and sauteed onion.

The sardine mixture is spooned on top of spaghetti and then dusted with an anchovy and pine nut breadcrumb topping. It’s a great mixture of flavors and textures and comes together in very little time at all. The recipe can easily be doubled. Serves 2.

Ingredients

The breadcrumb topping:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon oil from anchovy tin or bottle
• 2 anchovy filets
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ⅓ cup, plus 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs or panko
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts

The sardines and pasta:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon anchovy oil from tin or bottle
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped, about ¼ cup
• Just a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper*
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 sardine tin, about 4.23 ounces
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• ½ pound spaghetti or linguine

*Anchovies can be quite salty, so use only a tiny bit of salt

Instructions

1. Make the breadcrumbs: in a small saucepan, heat the oil and anchovy oil over low heat. Add the anchovy filets and cook until they break down and become a kind of mash. Add the pepper and the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the pine nuts and cook for another few minutes until the breadcrumbs begin to turn a richer, darker golden brown.
2. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil over high heat.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and anchovy oil over low heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and good grinding of black pepper. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in the pine nuts and cook for 2 minutes. Add the sardines and 1 tablespoon of the oil from the sardine tin and cook for 3 minutes, being careful not to break up the sardines. Add the lemon zest and juice, and simmer over very low heat. Add half the parsley.
4. Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water for about 9-12 minutes, depending on brand and thickness, or until al dente. Just before pasta is done, remove ¼ cup of the pasta water and add to the sardines. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook 2 to 3 more minutes to incorporate the pasta water (it will help the sauce adhere to the pasta).
5. Drain pasta and place in a serving bowl or platter. Top with the sardines and all juices in the skillet. Scatter the breadcrumbs down the center and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

Tinned fish and vegetable nori sushi rolls

I’m not sure what gave me the idea that this recipe might work. I was craving sushi, and I had tinned salmon, mackerel, trout, tuna and anchovies. “Why not substitute tinned fish for fresh?” I thought.

So I got some sushi rice and large sushi nori sheets (8 by 7 inches) and got to work. I used tinned salmon, avocado, red pepper and cucumber. It was so easy to put together, particularly if you make the rice ahead of time (since you don’t want it to be hot or warm). I didn’t use any fancy or special equipment. Just lined the nori sheet with some cooked sushi rice, arranged the tinned fish and vegetables on top, rolled it all up like a fat cigar and cut into beautiful pieces of sushi. You can use any combination you like–tinned mackerel, scallions, sesame seeds, etc. Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients

• ½ cup sushi rice or short grain rice
• 4 sheets sushi nori (8 by 7 inches)
• 1 red or yellow or green pepper, cored and cut into very thin slices
• 1 avocado, ripe but not too ripe, thinly sliced
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into thin slices
• 1 tin salmon, mackerel, tuna, smoked mussels, anchovies, etc, drained
• Wasabi and soy sauce for serving

Instructions

1. Make the rice: place the rice in a saucepan and add 1 cup water, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Bring to a boil, stir the rice and reduce the temperature to low. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice tender. Remove from heat and let sit for around 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature. (The rice can be made several hours ahead of time; cover and store at room temperature.)
2. Lay one sheet of nori out on a clean work surface. Working with the bottom half (closest to you) spread about ⅓ cup rice onto the nori and press down gently so it adheres. Top with the vegetables and fish, again pressing gently so the fish and vegetables adhere to the rice. Taking the end of the nori closest to you (with the filling) tightly roll the seaweed up (towards the non-filled end of the sheet) into a tight fat cigar shape. Cut the roll into 6 or 8 pieces and arrange on a serving plate.
3. Repeat with the remaining nori, rice, fish and vegetables.
4. Serve with a small bowl of soy sauce and wasabi, if you like.

Sardine and egg sandwich with pickles

My friend Viola Butoni had a holiday party, a wildly fun kind of Italian bingo game called Tombola. She served a variety of sandwiches (and a ton of other delicious food) but it was the sardine and hard-boiled egg sandwiches with cornichons (small French pickles) that I couldn’t get enough of.

You can make this with any tinned fish – sardines, mackerel, salmon, anchovies, etc. – layered with thin slices of hard-boiled egg and long, thin slices of pickles on your favorite bread liberally spread with good butter. You can serve the sandwiches open-faced or closed and cut in half. Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 4 slices bread, any type of sandwich bread or crusty bread will work
• 4 teaspoons good-quality salted butter, softened (any butter will work, but this is where it’s worth getting a good butter)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• One tin of sardines, salmon, trout, mackerel, etc.
• 4 cornichons or gherkin pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise

Instructions

1. Cook the egg: Place the egg in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes (2 minutes will give you a slightly jammy egg and 3 minutes the yolk will be firmer). Drain the hot water out of the pan and fill again with cold water. Drain and add more cold water. Drain a third time and roll the egg back and forth in the saucepan to crack the shell. Cover with cold water. Drain a final (fourth time) and peel. Thinly slice the egg.
2. Place the bread on a work surface and divide the butter between the slices. Add ½ the egg to one slice and season with salt and pepper. Add ½ of the tinned fish, flaked on top. Place the pickle slices on the other slice of bread. Carefully place the pickle slice on top of the fish and egg slice and press down gently. Cut in half. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

To make open-faced sandwiches, divide the ingredients between all 4 slices of bread and serve open-faced.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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