Tinned dinner: Yes, you can

Tinned fish has become a thing in American cuisine — mainly because of the nutritional values of the types of fish that end up in cans. Sardines, for instance, are a good source of selenium, a mineral that acts as an antioxidant and produces glutathione, another antioxidant, according to the pre-DOGE National Institutes of Health. The fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk for heart disease.

Tinned fish as an appetizer or tapas offering has been a thing in Portugal, Spain and South American nations for many years. If you go to Lisbon, to the fabulous Time Out Market, you can order all kinds of freshly cooked meals, but you can also have “conservas,” or tinned seafood. In an episode of “Somebody Feed Phil” on Netflix, Phil Rosenthal visited a stall in the market that sold nothing but canned fish — for take-home or dining on the spot.

In Baltimore, La Cuchara offers excellent sardines or mackeral from a can as an appetizer.

My suggestion: Try this at home. Eighty-percent of the prep is in the the shopping, in finding a good variety of tinned sardines, mackeral, squid, octupus, anchovy and tuna in olive oil or a red sauce. You want good yellow fin tuna; the Genova brand (available from Coscto) is excellent, as is Natural Catch, purchased recently online. (Stay away from Bumble Bee. If you see that brand in the photos with this post, it’s only because BB was the only brand of smoked oysters I could find on the day I schemed up a tinned fish buffet for our weekly family dinner.)

I offered the tins with good crusty bread, roasted red peppers, condiments and salad greens. The wine was a pino grigio. It was a fun way to dine slowly, and everyone got to try three or four different types of fish.

I spent no more than $5 on any can of tinned fish (though that’s probably going to change with Trump’s stupid tariffs). A trip to an Asian or Hispanic market will net me a greater variety for the next tinned dinner. And there will be a next time. Yes, try this at home.