You Should Be Eating More Canned Fish

[Julieanne]

David Neimanis
February 8 2020

Whenever I bring up my love of canned fish, my friends and colleagues morph into picky children.Canned seafood has a bad reputation in the United States, and it’s not just anecdotal: On an annual basis, the average American consumes about 3.5 pounds of canned seafood, a number that’s been steadily falling over the last three decades. Meanwhile, the average Spaniard polishes off nearly three times that.



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[Islander]

Well, sardines are kind of a staple when it comes to prepping for extended power outages. I have quite a stack on hand and occasionally open a can for lunch when I'm in the mood for fish. I love smoked oysters but they are a very special treat. And a few days ago I made a salmon loaf with a can that's been in the cupboard for several years. I'd forgotten that a salmon loaf feeds a family of six. I think I have one more day to go before I see the last of it!

[grulla]

I always buy my canned sardines packed in water and not adulterated in any ingredients such as questionable oils and others. The ingredients in garnished/adulterated sardines will surprise you, except perhaps the oval canned sardines packed in tomato sauce imported from Mexico, but even then , read the ingredient label.

When it comes to canned tuna, it's always been my understanding that it comes from smaller-younger fish thereby mimizing any mercury, while the larger tuna that are sliced into steaks at the meat market are much older thereby possibly containing high(er) amounts of mercury. http://seafood.edf.org/guide/best
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=environmen...ages&ia=images

[Mr. Wizard]

I actually prefer canned fish over fresh, especially salmon. Go figure?? I'm careful, however, not to eat from "deeply dented" cans, especially if the dent is along the seam of the can. Deeply dented cans present risk of botulism.

[Islander]

Growing up, I had way more than my share of cheap and quick dishes like tuna pea wiggle.* If I never see another can of tuna again in my life, it will be too soon.

*Canned tuna, canned peas, 8-minute pasta in a béchamel sauce. Bland bland bland boring bland bland bland bland boring. And bland. If I end up in hell, I know exactly what my punishment will be.

[Julieanne]

Islander, There are varieties of tuna now with added flavors. I buy either smoked tuna or lemon or pepper. I make a delicious pasta with the smoked one, and the L and P, blended with onion, parsley and a little mayonnaise makes a really nice sandwich filling. I have served it to people who don't like tuna, and my DIL hates onion, but they loved it!

I had white anchovies at an Italian restaurant some years ago and they were divine. Very expensive, but I see iherb have them at a more reasonable price. Only for a very special occasion.

I also have a can of salmon languishing in the cupboard. Can we have the recipe for your salmon loaf please?

[Islander]

I won't dignify this by putting it in the recipe forum. It's too simple for words. Dump a can of drained salmon into a bowl, breaking it up into flakes. (Save the liquid). Combine this with diced onion and an amount of buttered mashed potatoes equal to the amount of salmon. Add salt and pepper. Mound this mix onto a plate and shape it into a loaf (add back some of the salmon juice if the mix is too thick for your liking). Sprinkle generously with seasoned breadcrumbs and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. Since it's rather bland, I make a béchamel sauce with lots of Parmesan to spoon over the slices once it's plated.
That was a standard family supper, served with peas, when I was growing up. If you can think of any additions to make the blandness disappear, they would be most welcome since I still have two cans in the cupboard!

[Julieanne]

I make tuna patties with the same ingredients, with one small can of tuna. Make patty shapes, roll in flour and cook in the pan. I overcome the blandness by making a salsa ( made it for years without knowing it had a name), with finely chopped tomato, onion, a little lemon juice and a touch of chili. You could add parsley or other herbs. Try a small amount and freeze the rest of the salmon for another time. Sometimes I just make a white sauce with tuna liquid or fish stock, add the fish and serve with vegetables. Quick and easy! I occasionally buy a salmon head to make the stock for soup.

[Islander]

Ah, for the old days, when you could walk into the fishmonger's shop and buy a salmon head!

No, I'm not kidding. In my home town, in the days before supermarkets, there was the greengrocer's, and the fishmonger's, and the bakery, and Brockelman's, the butcher shop, with sawdust on the floor and carcasses hanging from hooks. And in the small Irish towns, at least the last time I was in the country, there was more than one butcher shop: the pork butcher was separate from the beef butcher, and I'm not sure about fowl. You could always buy parts (liver, lungs, kidneys, bladders, lard, sweetbreads, soup bones). Nothing like that in any supermarket I am acquainted with. You can get them only from a slaughterhouse… If you bring something to be slaughtered! In fact, it might surprise you to know how many people here in rural Maine still slaughter chickens, goats and pigs right on the homestead.