Discovering a Love for Tinned Fish

Last month, in October 2025, I saw that a grocery store had an expensive can of tuna on clearance sale... I decided to try it, and found the most delectable and moist slice of tinned fish I had ever eaten. It sparked my curiosity. What else was out there?

My next trip to a Trader Joe's, I stocked up on the variety of tinned fish. Was it the olive oil that made it so tasty and wonderfully textured? Not so. The circular cans did not match up to the rectangular tins, even when I was taste testing the same fish both in olive oil.

Seems like the rectangle tins allow for a better slice of fish. What else did I not know? Anyway, here's to my journey. However briefly my passion may last.

Pictured to the left: Three of the tinned fish I acquired from Trader Joe's. A rectangular tin of Hardwood Smoked Trout Fillets (Skinless in Canola Oil), a rectangular tin of Lightly Smoked Salmon (Skinless & Boneless Applewood Smoked in Extra Virgin Olive Oil), and a round can of Solid White Albacore Tuna (in EVOO).

With basic canned tuna in water from Chicken of the Sea being a C, below are my opinions of each of the pictured TJ Tinned Fish. I ate these straight from the can, just grinding pepper right over it.

TJ Hardwood Smoked Trout Fillets: B
I find that I don't enjoy the flavor and viscosity of canola oil as much as olive oil. I was surprised to enjoy the trout, since my experience with tinned fish has generally been limited to tuna in water and sardines in tomato sauce (Ligo) which I have disliked.

TJ Lightly Smoked Salmon: A-
I was surprised that the very affordable can of tinned salmon from Trader Joe's was comparable to the texture of the much more expensive tinned fish I had found last month. Interestingly, not the same fish. The EVOO base melded pretty harmoniously with the fattiness of the salmon and created a very rich and pleasing experience. The heartburn to follow was an unfortunate side effect that is probably unique to me.

TJ Solid White Albacore Tuna: C
Not much different from the common canned tuna in water. Best turned into a tuna salad sandwich with mayo, mustard, and relish since it isn't particularly delectable in flavor or texture straight from the can.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don Qi Finds

Image
After my initial burst of enthusiasm, one of my partners took me for a shopping spree at a Japanese grocery store. I hadn't thought of it, but a friend recommended that I check the canned food aisles for tinned fish. And Don Quijote had quite the selection. I purchased a variety of Japanese tinned fish and also a microwavable pouch. Not something I had known about prior to this shopping trip, but something I am curious to try. So far, I have been pleased by the Roland Rolled Fillets of Anchovies with Capers in Olive Oil. Those I ate in a salad of spinach, carrots, and feta with a honey vinaigrette salad dressing. The Jonetz Canned Sardines in Miso also impressed. Finally, I had as snacks on a couple separate but close occasions the Ortiz White Tuna in Olive Oil as well as the White Tuna in Organic Olive Oil, just to have a sort of side-by-side comparison of the difference the organic olive oil would make. The Verdict: Roland Rolled Fillets of Anchovies with Capers in Olive Oil: A- ...
Read more

Cento Flat Fillet Anchovies

Image
Cento Flat Fillet Anchovies: C-  In hopes of an equally good lunch as the last one with anchovies, I threw together a simple salad. I thought the Cento Flat Fillet Anchovies were quite beautiful to look at until I tried to pry the strips apart. Unfortunately, the experience was not pleasant. The strips clumped together and upon closer look, had teensy little bones that protruded like whiskers on each strip. Being no stranger to "edible bones", I ate it anyway. The experience was not my favorite, but a hungry woman gotta eat. The anchovies were quite salty, with a "liver"-ish aftertaste. There was nothing particularly wrong with the texture, tho I would probably opt to dump the can into a sauce or place it onto a pizza to be further immolated in an oven. I had to leave some particularly whiskered strips uneaten.
Read more