Tinned Seafood Is Making a Comeback in 2021 & It’s Fresher Than Ever

By Daniel Miller - February 4, 2020

For many, eating more sustainably excludes tinned food, but this is not the case, especially when it comes to seafood. More on that can be found below, but another benefit of preserving seafood, such as clams, mackerel, mussels, sardines, and anchovies is good news for the ocean as chowing down smaller fish relieves the pressure on larger and more threatened species.

Food Services & The Rise of Tinned Fish

Before we continue, it’s important to mention that tinned food doesn’t necessarily mean the disgusting tuna you remember from your youth. Not by any means. The canned food tradition has become a thing in the southern European region, made by artisan producers with the finest quality seafood, preserving it at the peak of freshness.

Take Brookylin’s wine bar Rhodora for example. It’s a beautifully designed, wood-paneled space with a lofty no-food-waste goal. It’s mainly Spanish-inflected canned seafood or conservas are the big draws. The menu includes specialty treats such as petite, golden-hued cockles preserved in brine, and hand-cut morsels of octopus packed with nuggets of garlic in zesty Portuguese olive oil.

Canned Fish Is Healthy

As long as you keep tuna, swordfish, and other rich-in-mercury seafood out of your diet, the majority of tinned fish is great from a health perspective. SMASH is the nifty acronym to help you remember the best fish:

Sardines
Mackerel
Anchovies
Salmon
Herring

Tinned Fish in Home Kitchens

When there’s nothing except for tinned fish in your kitchen (hopefully, it’s one of the SMASH ones), think of Mediterranean cooking, where these types of proteins feature alongside healthy fats, whole grains, and fresh produce. The best thing? The Mediterranean recipes are known to be simple.

Beautifully-plated tinned fish for dinner These include toasts with small tinned fish and fresh herbs or just a few atop a simple salad. Anchovies are also great when tossed into a tomato-y pasta dish.

Bottom line is, people suddenly got used to stacking food, and the best option is tinned SMASH fishes. Restaurants are pulling it off, it’s convenient for households, it’s great for health, and most importantly, it’s delicious.