If you’re looking for a fun dinner party theme, tinned fish is one! Here are details of what brands to get and what accompaniments you need.
Tinned fish meals are nothing new. It’s a simple and cheap protein to make a meal. But with the rise of “fancy” tinned fish (think better ingredients and sustainable fishing), tinned fish meals have become an occasion. Popularity on social media doesn’t hurt either.
So, during the holidays, we decided to have a tinned fish meal with our family.
The Tinned Fish
Purchasing the tinned fish might got out of hand because there are many different brands and cute branding. The type of fish you’ll typically see are albacore tuna, salmon, sardines, anchovies, oysters, mussels, and mackerel. You’ll want to get the fish packed in oil or sauce. Portugal and Spain are known for their canned fish (conservas), so you may see those brands on the shelves.
Here are the tinned fish we picked up from multiple stores in Austin and an estimate of their prices. Our choices were mostly random. We wanted a variety of fish types and were swayed by the packaging design.
- Bela – Sardines In Lemon Sauce ($4.99)
- Fishwife – Smoked Albacore Tuna ($14.99)
- Trader Joe’s – Lightly Smoked Mussels ($2.99)
- Trader Joe’s – Lightly Smoked Salmon ($3.99)
- Patagonia Provisions – Lemon Olive Spanish White Anchovies ($8.00)
- Manna – Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil ($6.69)
- Jose Gourmet – Small Smoked Sardines ($8.49)
- Jose Gourmet – Spiced Tuna Pate ($4.99)
- Scout – Ontario Trout with Dill ($8.88)
We had five people and opened seven cans. It ended up being the right amount with just a bit left over. See the aftermath below!
Fishwife has the prettiest packaging. Mackerel in general tends to be a fishier fish, so that is expected for the tinned version. My favorite cans weren’t the most expensive, and the flavor depends on the flavor combinations you create.
Keep reading to see our favorite accompaniments.
What to Eat With Your Tinned Fish
To make what people call a “seacuterie” board, you’ll need a variety of ingredients to dress up your tinned fish plus some sides for snacking.
- Vehicles: Bread, crackers, potato chips
- Pickled things: pickled onions, cornichons, capers
- Spreads: cream cheese, fig jam
- Raw things: radish, endive, cucumber, carrot, cherry tomato
- Fresh herbs: dill, green onion
- Dressings: mustard, lemon juice, vinaigrette
- Fruit: orange, lemon
- Sides: olives, dried fruit, nuts, cheese
- Drinks: bubbles
After eating, we decided the must-haves would be potato chips, cream cheese, endive, fig jam, and pickled onions. It might be good to do different flavors of savory cream cheese too.
I guess this is the time to tell you I didn’t grow up eating tinned fish and before this, the one food I would not eat was canned tuna. I didn’t like the smell and taste. While I would still say no to tuna salad and generic canned tuna, it turns out I like tinned fish. This was a tasty way to find out!
If you want to mix up your cheese and charcuterie night, try the seacuterie board!
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