Tinned fish, such as sardines, mackerel, herring, pilchards, sprats, and anchovies, is being recognised for its extended shelf life and rich umami flavour. This preservation method helps to drastically reduce food waste for a product that typically has a short fresh life.
The deep umami flavour in tinned fish can develop during the curing and canning process, particularly when preserved in quality brine or oil. Enterprises like Mitch Tonks’s Rockfish and Sea Sisters, along with producers such as Giribizzi and La Belle-Iloise, are noted for their careful canning practices, encouraging supermarkets to offer similar products.
Chefs and food writers are incorporating tinned fish into a range of dishes. Rowley Leigh's recipe for pasta with tinned sardines, fennel, chilli, and lemon zest is a long-standing favourite. Yotam Ottolenghi uses mackerel fillets in a Sicilian sardine pasta variation and tinned smoked oysters in a conchiglie recipe. Anna Berrill uses tinned sardines in puttanesca and a sardine, caper, chive, and celery salad. Tinned fish also features in potato and fishcake recipes, as well as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s mackerel paté and sardine omelette.