This Ultimate Guide to Cooking with Canned Fish will help you navigate the tinned and canned seafood options available, plus give you recipe ideas!
Canned Fish 101: The Best Canned Fish To Buy
Who else loves fish!?
Obviously I do, and I’m going to assume that you do too. After all, you’re here with me, reading this canned fish guide!
Whether you’re a die-hard fish fanatic, or are simply trying to include more seafood in your diet– you’ve probably noticed that fish can be EXPENSIVE.
Personally, I have zero issues spending a little bit of money on a quality piece of fish.
It’s nice, though, to have an inexpensive, but still high-quality alternative. And that alternative, my friends– is canned seafood.
That’s right– CANNED seafood.
Why?
For one thing– it can be incredibly affordable.
It’s also perfect for stocking pantries, and it’s portable and shelf-stable— making it a perfect choice for packed lunches and camping trips.
So, the next time you’re looking for canned fish, what can you expect to find?
This Ultimate Guide to Cooking with Canned Fish is here to help you know what to expect, what to look for, give you tips for the best canned fish to buy, and of course– give you recipe ideas!
Canned Tuna
- Flavor Profile: Moderate fish flavor, Varies from brand to brand, Pairs well with chile peppers, citrus
- Species: The two most popular types of canned tuna are Albacore and Skipjack. You might also see tuna labeled as “Chunk Light”– this is generally Skipjack.
- Pros: Easy to Find, Inexpensive
- Cons: Very high in mercury– Limit consumption to 2 – 4 servings per month.
- Is it Sustainable?: Not Usually. Look for “Pole Caught” tuna from brands like Safe Catch and Wild Planet, and avoid poorly labeled cans, which likely use the unsustainable long-line method.
- Try it: This Asian-inspired healthy tuna salad with wasabi is one of my favorites!
Canned Sardines
- Flavor Profile: Strong fish flavor, Varies widely from brand to brand, Pairs well with olive oil, fresh herbs
- Species: Canned sardines can be made from up to 22 different types of fish, so the flavor and quality can vary widely
- Pros: Easy to Find, Inexpensive, Very low in mercury, Easy to find pre-seasoned
- Cons: None!
- Is it Sustainable?: Very Likely! Sardines are abundant.
- Learn more: How to Eat Canned Sardines
- Try it: Check out my most popular canned sardine recipe: Mini Sardine Fish Cakes
Canned Mackerel
- Flavor Profile: Strong flavor, Similar to tuna, Pairs well with olive oil, citrus
- Pros: Easy to Find, Inexpensive, Very low in mercury, Easy to find pre-seasoned
- Cons: None!
- Is it Sustainable?: Very Likely! Mackerel are abundant.
- Try It: Try making a mackerel salad instead of tuna salad, or try this mackerel protein wrap from Killing Thyme
Canned + Jarred Anchovies
- Flavor Profile: Umami, SALTY, Pairs well with olive oil, garlic, tomatoes
- Pros: Easy to Find, Inexpensive, Very low in mercury, Easily dissolve into food when heated– allowing for elevated flavor without major recipe adaptations
- Cons: Very strong flavor that can be overwhelming
- Is it Sustainable?: Very Likely! Anchovies are abundant.
- Try it: Try this summer soup: anchovy gazpacho
Canned Salmon
- Flavor Profile: Mild, Pairs well with citrus or mustard
- Species: Often Pink salmon, but Chum, Coho, Sockeye, and King salmon are also canned. Try to buy salmon cans that are clearly labeled with the type of salmon.
- Pros: Generally uses high-quality Pacific salmon, Inexpensive, Easy to find
- Cons: Quality varies widely
- Is it Sustainable?: Very likely. Pacific salmon are abundant.
- Try It: Use canned salmon in this lemon rice soup from Avocado Pesto
Canned Clams
- Flavor Profile: Mild, Pairs well with butter, chile peppers
- Pros: Easy to find, Generally inexpensive
- Cons: Flavor sometimes considered inferior to fresh clams, quality can vary from brand to brand
- Is it Sustainable?: Yes! Currently, all varieties of clams are considered sustainably sourced.
- Try it: I love this easy clam chowder with smoked oysters
Canned Oysters
- Flavor Profile: Mild or Strong, Depending on variety and preparation
- Pros: Easy to find, Generally inexpensive
- Cons: Unusual texture and appearance (may be off-putting to some)
- Is it Sustainable?: Yes! Currently, all varieties of oysters are considered sustainably sourced
- Try it: Make a batch of smoked oyster stuffing
Canned Crab
- Flavor Profile: Light, Pairs well with avocado, butter, lemon
- Species: Snow, Blue, Dungeness, and Red King Crab
- Pros: Easy to find, More affordable than fresh or frozen crab
- Cons: Can be pricier than other canned seafood, Quality varies widely from brand to brand
- Is it Sustainable?: Maybe. Look for traceability information or a “Marine Stewardship Council” label.
- How to Read the Labels: Higher quality crab meat will list the type of crab used on the can.
Cans marked “lump” will typically include larger pieces of crab meat.
Cans marked “special” or “extra fancy” will typically include smaller pieces and generally lower quality. - Try it: Use canned crab on these crab fries, or check out these crab rangoons from Cooking with Curls
Canned Herring (or Kippers)
- Flavor Profile: Strong flavor, Varies depending on preparation, Pairs well with eggs
- Species: Herring, When filleted and smoked it is sold as a Kipper
- Pros: Easy to find, Generally inexpensive
- Cons: None!
- Is it Sustainable?: Yes! Currently, all species of herring are considered sustainably sourced
- Try it: Use it as a ham hock substitute in this White Bean and Kale Soup with Smoked Fish, or try this Herring Smørrebrød from Lavender + Macarons
Other Canned Seafood
So far, I’ve gone over canned seafood you’d find in an American grocery store.
Keep in mind, though, that if it swims– someone has probably canned it.
Stroll through gourmet specialty shops, international grocery stores, or shop online to find a wider variety of seafood.
What other types of seafood can you find?
With a little effort, you can find cockles (similar to clams), mussels, octopus, eels, caviar, squid– and more!
I thought I knew my tuna because I always said that I didn’t like skipjack and now I’ve just learned my regular ole chunk light is actually skipjack? I adore albacore as well but it’s reserved for special treats or when it finally goes on sale.
Oh that’s funny! Well different brands can taste different from one another, so it’s possibly you had a can marked “skipjack” that you didn’t like, and a different brand of (skipjack) “chunk light” that you liked! 😀
oh this Canned Fish looks so delicious… wish I had some right now!
I always learn something from your 101 guides! Thank you! We like our Italian tuna in olive oil, a certain brand in a glass jar and it is so delicious. I’ve tried some cheaper variety in water, but did not like it at all. As Italians, we also like our sardines, anchovies and mackerel. But as for clams, and salmon, usually only fresh, but it’s good to have some alternatives.
I was just gifted some tuna belly in a glass jar- I can’t wait to try it!!!
Wow, this guide is so thorough and helpful! I basically have only ever tried canned tuna and canned salmon, lol! Now I want to try those Sardine Fish Cakes!
Lots of very good information. We love our seafood and buy it if Hubby doesn’t catch his fish. It’s so good for you and you can make a lot of recipes with it.
That’s a very useful guide on canned food with so many unique suggestions on top. I like sardines and mackerels canned. Not so anymore tuna, I kind of ate too much of it as a teenager. I like the canned fish in a red tomato sauce, those are my favorites. Especially boiled with some potatoes, fresh milk and some cheese and bread at the side. =) I am going to go through each suggestion for inspiration!
This is such great information for using canned fish. Being in the middle of the US, we can get some fresh seafood, but not a lot, so canned is a great way to go. This is great info, and I can’t wait to try some of it out!
This is such a great resource for canned fish, since so many people (myself included) only really think about tuna! Do all forms of canned salmon include the fish bones? That was quite a surprise the first time I opened a can of salmon since it’s never in tuna, ha!
Haha nope- they don’t all have bones. BUT it’s probably a higher-quality, less processed can of salmon if it still has some bone!
What a fantastic guide! I’m with you, I don’t really mind shelling out for high-quality fresh fish, but as I try to incorporate more of it into our diets, it’s likely to become more and more valuable to have some canned alternatives. Plus I just love the info you have here on sustainability – that’s important to me, and often hard to be sure of, depending on the store!
It can definitely start to add up! I’m glad you thought this was helpful- let me know if you’ve got more questions!!
There is SO MUCH here that I didn’t know – thank you so much for this guide!
so much information here about canned fish. I love mackerel ,sardines and crab but not so much tuna,wonderful guide.
Well mackerel, sardines, and crab are better for you than tuna so that’s a good thing! 😀 Enjoy!
lots of good info here! I usually go for fresh seafood but I should give canned salmon a try. I occasionally slip a bit of anchovy into a sauce.
Yeah give it a try! Let me know if you’ve got more questions!
Love this guide, very helpful. We always had smoked oysters and tuna growing up, love them.
Such an exhaustive list. Great attention to detail. I’ll be bookmarking this for future referencing. Thanks for sharing!
This is such a helpful guide! It can be so difficult navigating the canned seafood selections. I’ve had so many that have just not been of the quality I’d hoped for. I’ve had some amazing canned and jarred tuna from the specialty market, but definitely at a specialty price point, so they’ve only been an occasional treat. Will look for the pole caught cans at the regular grocery!
I’m getting up to make the sardine fish cake right now.
Awesome!!