Tinned fish, a delicacy to some, a bizarre wonder to others, is often feared due to the possibility of a pungent scent when the can is opened. In itself it sounds unappealing even to the biggest fish lovers. I tend to see the cutest packaging for tinned seafood. Detail is always key when it comes to the packaging of preserved foods. I see tinned fish at Le Petite, a local missoula coffee shop. Le Petit was closed when I decided I wanted to tackle this review, so I went to my favorite Missoula grocery store, the Good food Store. The selection wasn’t as plentiful as I was hoping but I did manage to find three that struck my curiosity and one that has been a classic snack in my household.
Starting with “Fish Wife’s” albacore tuna in olive oil, it is wild caught tuna from the bay of Biscay. Starting with packaging: they aced it. The box is pink with cute cartoonish details. I didn’t know what to expect when I opened the tin. I am used to chunks of fish greeting me when I eat tinned fish but this tuna was one big chunk, similar to canned tuna used for tuna salad but definitely more appealing. The light butter-like taste was as I expected. It worked well with the swedish style sourdough crispbread that I paired all the fish with. The texture was flakey and was a little difficult to put on the crispbread. The olive oil helped the tuna from becoming dry and added another flavor profile to the bite that I really enjoyed. I enjoyed the packaging of this fish more than I did the taste. The flavoring just was a little boring for me.
Moving onto the Patagonia roasted garlic mackerel, the roasted garlic was strong in the scent of the can being opened so it wouldn’t turn away anyone who dislikes the smell of seafood. The packaging was subtle and sophisticated getting the point across. I enjoyed the simplicity of this packaging and was eager to try what was inside. The mackerel was cut into fourths, and soaked to the brim in oil. The taste was very earthy, the only way I can describe it is that it tastes like the smell outside after it’s been raining with an upfront taste of garlic. It paired well with the crispbread but I preferred it alone. I really loved this fish, I am a big fan of earthy tasting foods so this fish was perfect for me, and I love the taste and smell of garlic.
Next “Bela” sardines in a smokey lemon olive oil. Sardines have always intimidated me so I was a little close minded going into this tasting. The packaging was delicate with little fish drawings on the white tin. The fish itself looked very beautiful due to it’s metallic chrome like surface. I ate these fish outside down by the Clark Fork river, the way the sun shined on the fish made them appear more appealing. The fish were skinny and small, the taste was rich and a little metallic. I didn’t taste a whole lot of fish, they were meatier. They paired perfectly with the crispbread and even on their own I really enjoyed them. I would say this is definitely a must try even if you were scared of sardines like me.
Lastly, the “Napolien” large smoked oysters. I have snacked on these many times before and have always loved them. The packaging is quite boring and I do not find it pretty whatsoever, but on the brightside the flavor is rich. The olive oil coats the oysters perfectly and they almost slip away from you when you try to place them on a cracker. They are very briney and rich in their smokey flavor. I definitely enjoyed these oysters but not as much as the other tinned seafood I tried in this review.
To conclude, I thoroughly enjoyed all of these tins. I would recommend all of these tinned seafood for anyone who has never tried and for anyone who is too scared to try.
