I’ve been lucky enough to travel in Europe quite a bit in recent years and I’ve enjoyed many wonderful meals and impressive glass of wine. At lunch time I may be tucking into a fresh tuna-salad and it occurs to me that the canned tuna I’m eating is really good. I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, is it true that European canned fish is something super?
Preserving food for later use is as old as mankind. During the Napoleonic wars,
The concept of preserving meat and seafood in metal cans developed. The natural seafaring countries like France, Britain, Spain and Portugal, jumped into this idea.
Fortunately, they applied much the same creativity and initiative as they had in developing their national cuisines. The result, by the end of the 19th century, was an industry that was bringing healthy, nutritious food to the people in a handy portable form.
Today Italy, Spain, Portugal and the Scandinavian countries are the leaders in
Europe. And fortunately, many European brands can be found in the States. Of course, there will be tuna, but nearly every other kind of seafood is available. You’ll see sardines, crab meat, lobster, octopus, cod, mackerel, oysters and mussels. And the quality is exceptional.
Here are some idea Jerry has on the subject:
Tinned Fish
Canned or tinned fish are food fish which have been processed, sealed in an airtight container such as a sealed tin can, and subjected to heat. Canning is a method of preserving food, and provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years. They are usually opened via a can opener, but sometimes have a pull-tab so that they can be opened by hand. In the past it was common for many cans to have a key that would be turned to peel the lid of the tin off; most predominately sardines, among others -Wikipedia
Some great canned fish companies:
https://www.conservasolasagasti.com/en/
A great book about canned fish with lots of recipes:
https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Tinned-Fish-Anchovies-Sardines/dp/1579659373
