Tinned Fish: Spilled Milk #75

Conservas served three ways

Convenience, speed, deliciousness, health and wellness, variety, sustainability. These are just some of the reasons to enjoy tinned or canned seafoods.

I remember as a kid my father eagerly awaiting his shipment of Portuguese sardines or mackerel. Sometimes he’d drive two hours to a shop in Massachusetts just to buy some. He explained to me that the domestic variety was dry and fishy. Irredeemable. The man knew food. I could taste the difference. He would carefully lay some butter lettuce on a plate, pile some of the fish in the center in big chunks and spoon some thick mustardy vinaigrette over the top. Served with saltines, it was one of our favorite snacks.

The world of tinned fish (conservas) has grown in America, not just in popularity but domestic companies are making them now. Just be careful who you buy from. I explain it more fully in my video, but the skinny is this:

Premium conservas—imported or domestic ones—aren’t fishy or texturally off-putting because they are cooked once in the can with oil/water. The cheaper ones, (yes sadly you get what you pay for here), cook the fish, then can them under pressure resulting in a vastly less tasty product and one that is dryer and fishier tasting.

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