Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Holy mackerel! How social media is giving tinned fish a comeback

Though tinned fish has been around since the 1700s, social media has brought it back to life.

Canned seafood is of course a staple in countries like Spain and Portugal, but last year San Francisco chef Ali Hooke posted an at-home date night that included a tinned fish charcuterie board (some are calling it a "seacuterie board") and hashtagged it "tinned fish date night."

It's had tens of millions of views, and now tinned fish-related posts are in the billions of views as everyone else is jumping on board.

Part of the appeal is that with tinned fish, which is already cooked, no preparation is required — only assembly. It doesn't need to be warmed or served cold, and tinned fish often comes packed in mustard, flavourful oils and sauces.

Its shelf stability made tinned fish popular during the pandemic. It's great for packing to bring on a picnic, and cocktail bars and taprooms that don't have kitchens love putting out tins with accoutrements — something you can do at home, too.

Peel open a few cans and place on a board with bread, crackers or toast, and because small, oily fish (especially when packed in oil) can be very rich, it pairs well with something acidic and briny like pickles or capers. Or perhaps some thinly-sliced pickled onion or preserved lemon.

And because canned food tends to have a softer texture, add something crunchy. It could be the toast, or thinly-sliced radishes, tart apple or purple onion.

If you're concerned about mercury levels, Health Canada has a ton of info on their website.

They've identified certain fish as being more concerning in terms of mercury content, and the varieties of tinned fish that are low in mercury but contain higher levels of beneficial fatty acids include anchovy, herring, Atlantic mackerel, salmon, smelt, rainbow trout, clams, mussels and oysters.

LISTEN | Julie Van Rosendaal explains the popularity of tinned fish:

In terms of sustainability, there are lots of small producers in Canada who catch and tin their own seafood on a smaller scale.

Chef Ned Bell — co-owner of Naramata Inn in B.C., Chef Ambassador for Ocean Wise and sustainable seafood advocate — says when choosing tuna and other imported fish, like sardines and anchovies, look for the MSC certification. The Marine Stewardship Council focuses on traceability and well-managed fisheries.

For mussels, clams and oysters, you can look for the Ocean Wise recommendation, and for wild salmon, look for Ocean Wise as well as MSC.

Smoked Oyster & Clam Chowder

Oysters, clams, mussels and other bivalves are delicious in chowder, and smoked bivalves give it a wonderfully smoky flavour.

I don't drain the smoky oil it's packed in, but add it all to the pot. You can always add fresh whitefish, salmon, scallops, shrimp or other seafood to the soup as well, and simmer just to cook it through.

Ingredients

• olive or other vegetable oil, for cooking
• 1-2 tbsp butter (optional)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 4 cups (1 L) chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes, washed and diced (don't bother peeling them)
• A sprig or two of thyme (optional)
• ½ cup heavy (whipping) cream or coconut cream (optional)
• 1 fresh whitefish fillet, chopped (optional)
• 1 tin smoked oysters (drained or not)
• 1 tin regular or smoked clams (or other tinned bivalve mollusks)
• fresh dill or parsley, for garnish

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat and sauté the onion, celery and carrot for about five minutes, sprinkling with salt, until soft.

Add the flour and stir to coat, then add the stock and potatoes, a sprig of thyme and bring to a simmer.

Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender. Stir in the cream and whitefish fillet, if you're using it, along with the oysters, clams or other bivalves and heat through for a minute or two if you added fish, until it's opaque.

Season with salt and pepper and serve topped with fresh dill or parsley.

Serves: 4.

Grilled Zucchini, Eggplant and Peppers with Anchovies

They have a wonderful appetizer called melanzana at Posto Pizzeria & Bar in Calgary. It's an eggplant poached in olive oil, marinated pepper, white anchovy, capers and dill, served with fresh focaccia.

The stores I went to were out of eggplant, so I made it with grilled zucchini and grilled peppers, which made it perfect for grilling season.

To streamline things, you could always use jarred, marinated eggplant and peppers.

White anchovies are larger and milder than what you usually find in tins and jars, but any variety will do, and this dish would make a great vehicle for all kinds of little, tinned fishes.

Ingredients

• Eggplant or zucchini (or both)
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Salt
• 1-2 bell peppers
• 1 tin or jar white anchovies (or regular anchovies)
• Capers
• Fresh dill

While you preheat the grill, slice your eggplant at a diagonal and/or your zucchini lengthwise into ¼-inch thick slices and put into a shallow dish; drizzle with oil, add a crushed clove of garlic if you like and sprinkle with salt.

Grill the eggplant and/or zucchini slices along with the peppers — whole, or in halves or quarters (toss the core and seeds), turning until char-marked and tender.

• Bookmark cbc.ca/juliesrecipes to keep up with all of Julie Van Rosendaal's dishes.

Return the eggplant and zucchini to the oily dish. When the peppers are blackened and blistered, put them into a bowl and cover with a plate or sheet pan, set aside to cool and peel with your fingers.

To serve, lay slices of (warm, room temperature or cold) grilled eggplant and zucchini on a serving plate or platter, top with torn pieces of roasted pepper, anchovy filets, drained capers and sprigs of dill.

Drizzle with extra olive oil, or some of the oil from the grilled veg, or the oil from the can or jar of anchovies.

Serve with crusty bread or focaccia.