Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon / Target / Walmart / World Market
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It’s cool to smell like tuna, folks. Because canned fish is fancy now. It’s trendy. So get with it and stock up on a few cans of the best tinned fish and the best canned seafood.
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Over the past few years, canned fish has gone from being a dusty staple in the back of the pantry to a shockingly expensive menu item at top restaurants. Apparently if you call it conservas you can charge $20. Luckily, you don’t have to pay quite that much to enjoy the best canned fish and the best tinned seafood at home. That said, most of the really good stuff does cost a lot more than your basic can of Chicken of the Sea. That’s because companies are sourcing high-quality seafood, packing it in really good oil, and definitely not holding back on design. Most of the best canned seafood we tasted looks so pretty in its packaging that you could display it in a curio case and no one would question you. Whether you’re looking to start simple with a canned tuna upgrade or are ready to go full smoked oyster, we have the best tinned seafood for you. Here are the top picks from all of our canned seafood rankings.
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We tried a lot of canned sardines for this taste test, but when we tasted these, we just couldn’t stop eating them. They come nestled tightly in a tin of delicious, pungent olive oil, which permeates every nook and cranny of the small fish. You really have to try them and experience the nuanced, mild (in comparison to most other canned sardines) fishy flavor for yourself. Seriously, even sardine beginners should give these a chance.
Fishwife makes a ton of our favorite canned seafood, and these anchovies are so good, they knocked our previous faves out of the #1 spot. They’re Cantabrian anchovies, which have a firm texture with a complex flavor—bright and zippy and salty and fishy and oceanic. It’s a powerful flavor, so definitely pair these with buttered bread rather than eating them straight.
Sporked editor-in-chief Justine Sterling couldn’t stop thinking about this canned smoked trout after she tried it. Honestly, it’s like a restaurant dish in a can. The combination of delicate lemon, thyme, and juniper with the tender, smoky fish put this way at the top of the best smoked trout list.
This canned salmon is so good, our reviewer said it made him want to scream. Unlike a lot of canned salmon, which can be pretty dry and flaky, Polar canned salmon fillets are extremely rich and silky, buttery and fatty. Really, this stuff almost tastes like it was poached in butter. Making an Emily Mariko salmon bowl has never been easier.
Grab a toothpick and get to snacking on these canned smoked oysters. They’re not too big (canned oysters really shouldn’t take more than one bite to eat) and they have a delicious smoky finish. Pair them with a full charcuterie board spread or simply place one on a saltine.
If you’re still eating tuna in water instead of tuna in oil, we gotta recommend you switch! This mid-tier tuna has so much flavor and tastes way more expensive than it is thanks to the Italian olive oil in the can. The yellowfin tuna is rich and decadent without being oily. This might be a little harder to find, but it’s worth the effort for the best canned tuna.
If you’re not trying to spend the next few hours with a mallet and a little fork picking apart crab carcasses, the best canned crab comes in clutch. This canned crab meat from Cole’s is a cut above the rest. It contains leg, claw, and body meat, and you can actually distinguish them from one another. If you regularly crave crab bisque and crab linguine, but you don’t have the energy for cracking shells, this is the best canned seafood to have in the pantry.
When we sat down to taste everything currently available in Fishwife’s ever-expanding lineup of products, this collab with Fly by Jing (aka the cool girl chili crisp brand) was our overall favorite. It’s sweet, spicy, and a little smoky, and the fish itself is very high quality and silky. This stuff is ready to just dump on a bowl of white rice.
Trader Joe’s keeps up with the trends, so it’s no wonder they have a big selection of tinned fish. The best tinned fish in their lineup? This smoked trout, which already has a cult following online. Now we know why. It’s firm but flaky, smoky, and savory, and it leaves a fatty, oceanic flavor lingering on your palate in the best way possible. This is gonna make your aunt’s trout dip recipe even better.
Whether you’re making homemade clam chowder or turning a leftover slice of pizza into clam pizza, good canned clams are essential. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Bar Harbor, maker of our favorite clam chowder, also sells the best canned clams. These are briny, chunky, and wonderfully tender, with just the right amount of chew. The best canned seafood might not always make sense on a seacuterie board, but this is an essential pantry staple for seafood lovers all the same.
Only one brand of canned shrimp was tasty enough to make our ranking, and that’s Bumble Bee. We like that these medium shrimp are salty and a little sweet, like good boiled shrimp should be, but if you’re looking for something closer to cocktail shrimp, Bumble Bee Tiny Shrimp are good, too (and they’re a little less mushy than the medium guys).
Have you ever wanted to try a mackerel melt? You know, like a tuna melt but made with mackerel? Well, if so, this is the canned fish to buy. It’s well seasoned, packed in great tasting oil, and it has a slightly smoky flavor, like it just kissed a grill. It’s affordable, too—you can snag it for less than 3 bucks a can on Walmart’s website.
Sporked Staff
Gwynedd Stuart
Makenna Stark
Vinz Karl
Ariana Losch
