How To: Make the perfect tinned fish board

Sometimes the best things in life come out of a can. We’re a Jewish lady and a British man, so tinned fish floats both our boats. And we’re not the only worshippers in church. Canned seafood may be enjoying a gourmet revival, but it’s long been a staple around the globe, particularly in Spain and Portugal where the culture of conservas preserves the seasonal food you love into affordable delicacies that anyone can enjoy all year round.

I remember watching the Spain episode of No Reservations in 2008, where Anthony Bourdain explained that some of the best seafood in the world comes out of a tin. Tinned seafood, he said, particularly from the Galicia region of Spain, could be a luxurious culinary experience, with delicacies like mussels, tuna and razor clams preserved fresh off the boat.

And we love tinned fish for all the reasons that we love fresh fish. What other food group has such a wide range of flavor? You can dip a toe gently into the water with a mild white, flaky fish like cod or haddock. You can grill a firm slab of tuna. A assertive-flavored salmon or mackerel can flavor a fish pie or kedgeree. It’s easier than ever to find responsibly sourced products. And preserving a catch of seafood helps make a fish recipe affordable for more families when fresh fish seems out of reach.

what to look for when buying tinned seafood

Start by looking for ethically-sourced, sustainable varieties of tinned fish. The more information the website or product container can tell you about how the fish were caught or farmed, the better. The phrase “pole and line caught” tells you that the catch steers clear of the environmental cost of netting.

Smaller, artisanal tinned fish brands, with better control over their sourcing, can offer higher quality products than mass-produced varieties. If we’re cooking with anchovies (which we do a lot), we’ll usually buy the more affordable jars of Roland anchovies from our regular grocery store, or Merro, if we can find them. We occasionally splurge for Ortiz, which we love but are a little more spendy.

If we’re planning on serving the fish on its own, it’s worth it to look for top quality products. Fishwife’s Cantabrian anchovies are currently sold out, but we’re excited to try them when they’re back in stock.

We can report that the Fishwife offerings we’ve tried — Smoked Rainbow Trout, Slow Smoked Mackerel with Chili Flakes, Mussels with Sweet Pepper and Garlic, Albacore Tuna with Spanish Lemon, and Smoked Salmon with Fly By Jing Chili Crisp — are all amazing.

putting together a nice platter

There are few things I love more than putting together a nice platter (I mentioned I’m a Jewish lady, right?) I love making a beautiful cheese and charcuterie board, and, of course a salmon brunch spread (the recipe for the Beet-Cured Salmon below is in our cookbook “Cork and Knife“, but you can jump to our recipe for Tartines with Smoked Salmon for a more casual version).

how to put together the perfect tinned seafood board

Putting together a tinned seafood spread is very similar to a cheese and charcuterie board. You want a variety of flavors and textures, some that complement and some that contrast with one other.

For example, tinned seafood is rich in flavor and packed with delicious, flavorful oil, so briny, pickled elements make a perfect accompaniment. Add crunchy vegetables like radishes and cucumbers. A sauce for dolloping is fun, and can be as simple as a bowl of crème fraîche or sour cream, with a swirl of chili crisp for a little zing.

Arrange your board, with the fish at the center

1. SELECT YOUR TINNED SEAFOOD :
   • Depending on how many people you plan to feed, choose at least two different varieties of fish. You can serve as many as you like, of course, with varying flavors and textures. Maybe try one shellfish (like mussels) and one fin fish (like mackerel or trout).
     • TIP: Add these to the center of your board, since they are the featured ingredient.
2. ADD PICKLES AND BRINY OLIVES:
   • Tart, crunchy pickles are a perfect accompaniment to rich, oily fish. Our favorites are cornichons, pickled red onions, pickled radishes, Kalamata olives and Calabrian chilies.
     • TIP: Place them in small bowls, or arrange them directly on the board. Keep the varieties together in bunches, rather than scattering them all over the platter.
3. ADD A FEW FRESH ELEMENTS:
   • Fresh, crisp vegetables make a perfect accompaniment, and are beautiful as well. We love radishes, Persian cucumbers, endive or radicchio, though any vegetable that works on a crudités platter would be great here as well.
     • TIP: Fresh herbs like parsley, dill or chives brighten the board and are delicious as well.
4. CRACKERS OR BREAD:
   • Water crackers or other simple crackers are best. We generally avoid flavored crackers so that the seafood is the star. Small slices of fresh baguette, cut thin on an angle, are perfect. Good potato chips are also a fun accompaniment.
     • TIP: choose 2 or 3 options, to add variety and place them in several places on the board.
5. SAUCES AND SPREADS:
   • This can be as simple as a ramekin filled with creme fraiche or sour cream, with some cracked pepper on top, or a swirl of good chili crisp. A little bowl of Japanese mayonnaise, thinned with rice vinegar or lemon is perfect. We like a have a variety of options, some creamy, some spicy, some tart.
     • TIP: Place a few little bowls around the board next to what you think they would pair best with.
6. OPTIONAL EXTRAS LIKE CHEESES, NUTS, HARD-BOILED EGGS:
   • If the board is meant as a full meal, you can add some cheeses, toasted nuts, hard (or medium) boiled eggs, cut in half. Mild cheeses like gouda, chevre (fresh goat cheese), or brie and camembert are nice options, and won’t overpower the fish.
     • TIP: Fill in any gaps on the board, making the spread feel plentiful and lush.

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