To most Midwesterners, the idea of canned fish doesn’t exactly give off a luxe, cosmopolitan vibe. Beyond tuna salad and salmon cakes, the segment doesn’t get much attention. That’s beginning to change, however, as more folks discover the Iberian delicacy known as conservas. This category of tinned or canned seafood is wildly popular throughout Spain and Portugal and represents a dizzying array of products from poached scallops in garlic sauce to crab-stuffed piquillo peppers.
This centuries-old tradition of preserving the ocean’s bounty as soon as it’s caught has long been a cornerstone of Iberian cuisine. Their process of canning the fish is much the same as anywhere. Impeccably fresh fish is lightly blanched before being canned in a water bath. What distinguishes the Iberian style of preparation is the almost obsessive attention paid to freshness and taste. While delicate, premium seafood like scallops is often preserved simply in its own juices while stronger-flavored and less expensive types of fish such as mackerel, sardines and mussels are infused with countless combinations from spicy garlic chili oil to heady curry sauce.
The innovation of canning was reportedly spurred by Napoleon in 1795. The French government offered 12,000 francs to the person who could create a viable method of preserving food for the French army and navy, which was often more decimated by scurvy than battle. A man by the name of Nicolas Appert, who would become known as the “father of canning,” won the prize by developing a method of preserving food by sterilizing it in glass jars. The method of using tin was then developed by the English, and by 1853 the Ramirez family opened the first fish cannery in Portugal. Today it still stands as the oldest operating fish canning company in Europe.
Today premium tinned fish can be sourced from seafood-abundant regions all over the world, including some here in the U.S. and Canada. Fishwife is a company founded and run by women in Los Angeles that sources sustainably caught and farmed fish from around the globe. Available locally at Robert’s Seafood market in Springfield, Fishwife offerings include smoked salmon with chili crisp, sardines with preserved lemon and albacore tuna in spicy olive oil. A far cry from the humble cans of water-packed tuna that typically line American grocery shelves, many of these preserved specialties are not inexpensive and often range from $8 to $15 for a small tin.
For those looking for a more accessible and affordable option, Wild Planet brand tinned sardines and mackerel are widely available in many grocery stores and are less expensive than premium conservas, but still quite delicious. Their lightly smoked sardines with olive oil and lemon are a regular lunchtime favorite, enjoyed straight from the tin or dumped onto a pile of baby lettuces, topped off with a squeeze of lemon or hot sauce and eaten with a generous serving of saltine crackers. This makes not only for a tasty and quick lunch, but a nutrition-packed one as well. One small, four-ounce can of sardines contains a whopping 18 grams of protein, 1,800 milligrams of omega-3 and 60 percent of your daily value of vitamin D, all for under 200 calories.
Conservas cram a lot of flavor into a small package, so center them as the star of your meal, whether as a stunning board presentation alongside pickles, olives and crusty bread or tossed with spaghetti and garlicky breadcrumbs. A natural pairing with wine, look for high-acid coastal white wines like Portuguese Vinho Verde, Albariño from the Rías Baixas region in Northwest Spain, Muscadet from France’s Loire Valley or a crisp Vermentino from Southern Italy. Bone dry rosé and even juicy light reds can also pair incredibly well, especially with richer conservas such as smoked salmon or octopus in spicy tomato sauce.
Sardine pasta with crispy breadcrumbs
This humble weeknight meal is quick, simple and devastatingly delicious.
Ingredients:
¼ cup good quality olive oil, divided
½ cup stale breadcrumbs
1 onion, minced
3-5 cloves minced garlic
1 pound spaghetti
Zest and juice from one lemon
2 cans sardines packed in olive oil (such as Wild Planet)
½ cup minced fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
Red and black pepper, to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, add two tablespoons of the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the breadcrumbs to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly until they’re aromatic and light golden brown, about two to four minutes. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a small dish and set aside. Add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and add the minced onion and a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are just beginning to soften, about two minutes, then add the garlic another minute more. Turn off the heat under the skillet while the pasta cooks.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, or tender to the tooth. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water then drain the pasta.
Turn the heat under the skillet back on to medium high and add the lemon zest and sardines with all their oil. Cook, stirring frequently until warmed through, about two to three minutes. Dump the pasta and reserved cooking water into the sardine mixture and toss to combine. Toss in the breadcrumbs and parsley and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve with additional breadcrumbs, parsley and hot chili flakes.
This article appears in Mar 27 – Apr 2, 2025.
