they're multiplying.
anyone want to do a tin club? i have no idea what that would entail
maybe you just post up when you pop a tin? or review stuff? or exchange cool tins?
i dunno, i've been getting into it more the last few months and it reminds me of my childhood above the arctic circle.
matiz wild cod
i'm picking up more for sure
big lumps of well cooked, flake-apart niceness
good skin that comes off easily
the oil is very fragrant and pleasant
riga gold cod liver
packed in light neutral oil
super buttery, almost a pâté, you can easily spread it on a cracker or stiff toast
i grew up above the arctic circle [reluctantly] eating a lot of this
some fishiness, about the same as skinless sardines
the same "organ meat" sort of mineral top note as with sweetmeats, but not iron-tasting
goes great with mashed potato, probably would be nice on a cracker with lemon or a mild vinegar hotsauce. maybe dill?
matiz wild small sardines w/ sweet piquillo peppers
matiz is knocking king oscar off the "everything i've tried from them is nice" pedestal
packed in neutral oil that picks up a bit of flavor from the mild, sweet peppers
skin on & bones in
the skin is thin and barely noticeable
excellent flavor, very little fishiness
nice firmness, great texture, the bones are fully soft
great straight out of the can, needs absolutely nothing, no salt, no sauce
maybe on a v. thin cracker?
Old Fisherman Roasted Eel w/ Fermented Black Beans
underpacked tin with some space
very firm texture, soft, edible pin bones
roasted in a medium sweet sauce
a few mushy beans that taste a lot like adzuki
peppery, excellent flavor
packed in gelatinous liquid, next time i'd put the tin in a bowl of hot water to warm up before serving
great right out of the can, would work anywhere broiled/roasted eel does, prob great on top of noodles or a rice bowl
Old Fisherman Roasted Eel
tried plopping the tin in a bowl of hot water 10 mins before serving and it works a treat!
this eel is a lot more bony and the flesh is drier than the one with fermented black beans from the same brand. still enjoyable and hits the eel spot.
the texture might be a little unsettling to someone who isn't used to eel, whereas the prior tin is a better fit for a broader swath of palates.
had it on air-fried cubed tofu and it satisfies
Aquamarine Antarctic Krill Meat
all about this.
krill is like more shrimp shrimp.
nice on its own, but dressing it with mayo or labneh or yogurt or crème fraîche or just olive / sunflower seed oil makes a nice spread that goes great on any bready thing.
an allium won't go amiss, chive goes good, tartar or cocktail sauces prob. work, too
in a few minutes i basically made po' boy toast, you have just enough time to pop the tin and mix it up before the bread presents
King Oscar Wild Caught Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
this is available in most larger groceries, so i didn't have high expectations. that said, i've never been disappointed with anything KO makes
these are actually quite small! like medium sprats. in fact, that's pretty much what they are, unsmoked sprats.
mild flavor, very thin skin, OK oil, but not fragrant. i had these with Bufalo Chilpotle (my favorite mild and smokey sauce), they'd go great with cucumber, too
Vigo Squid in Ink Sauce
This has been my standby favorite since the first time i tried a tin a few years ago.
Really accessible flavor
Great texture, soft with a nice chew
Variety of pieces including tentacles, fins, and large meaty mantle bits
the slightly sweet & earthy ink sauce is very mild and pleasant so i always have toast soldiers to sop it up or spread it on a crusty wedge of garlicy bread
J-Basket Saba-Kabayaki Seasoned and Broiled Mackerel
Very meaty
Slightly sweet
Dry-ish, almost tuna-like texture
Skin: on, bones: in
Skin is really thin and barely noticeable, great color, much less rubbery than on smoked mackerel
Bones are fully soft and a bit crunchy
i'd buy a few tins if it was on special, nice for variety, but i wouldn't go out of my way to find it
Polar Kipper Snacks
These are the standard cheap kipper
Decent flavor, but not very complex
Thick, gooey skin that i usually peel off
Well prepared, flakes apart nicely
Very low salt if that's a concern, but Rugen is only 210mg vs. 100mg, costs the same, and is much tastier with less objectionable skin.
if this is the only tin in the store and you gotta have your kippers and eggs, i'd grab it without thinking twice. otherwise, there are better options.
incidentally, a lot of tins are better served warm, including kippers. if i'm cooking outdoors it's not a problem, but heating smoked fish indoors is a great way to gas out your living space for a few days
throwing a tin in a bowl of sink-hot water for a few minutes works great to heat it through for better flavor. if you want to toast it a little with a searzall or torch, that gives a nice crust or char without getting too stinky.
Season Skinless & Boneless Sardine Fillets
this is the one that kicked off this tin fancy pretty much
Will Smith mentioned buying bricks of these on Tech Pod and the next time i was at the store i picked one up
another good standby
very accessible, 100% meat with almost no skin or bones
really consistent
a larger tin
firm texture
good neutral olive oil
this tin is a prime candidate for the paper-towel smoke technique
reposterity (repost for posterity)
i remember MRESteve mentioning this technique years ago, just saw it come back up recently
a nice appetizer/light lunch or pleasant way to grab a couple of drinks, butter some toast, and go out on the porch for a 20 min snack with your favorite person
i tried low carb hawaiian toast, thin slices of cold butter, thin slices of mini cucumbers, topped with tinned sardines smoked this way. A tier sangweech. Maybe even S.
Northern Catch Smoked Oysters
the oil is underwhelming
85g
excellent, very consistent texture
this is a v. cheap tin bought on a whim. i'm not huge on oysters, but the canned ones are very different, much closer to mussels, which i do like.
little bit of fishiness, light touch with the smoke, my favorite smoked oysters at any price.
i drained and filled with a nice olive oil and microplaned a clove of garlic into the tin. would go great with marinated onion, too.
Rügen Fisch Kipper Snacks
these are my current favorite kipper
medium smoke
thin, barely noticeable skin
really nice flavor, not too salty or overpowering
great texture, a little firmer than Polar brand
marinated red onion or sambal oelek are great adds. kippers benefit from a bit of sharpness or pungency. especially paired with something rich like eggs or toast with mayo.
i really want to try a tin with unagi sauce, will report once i've had a chance to nab a bottle
Mina Skinless & Boneless Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
nice package with foiling
mostly neutral oil
excellent flavor, a little brighter and fishier than the season brand
medium fish size, a little smaller than season
very little smoke, fresh and clean-tasting
another good candidate for the paper towel trick if you want to get a bit of smokiness
a medium priced tin, it's tasty, it's a little fancy.. this is a "slightly special weeknight" sort of thing
Bar Harbor Wild Smoked Alaskan Salmon Fillets
abnormally large can
well priced at ~$4
canned in water/juices,
i drained and replaced with sunflower seed oil, which made it nicer
surprisingly fishy
however much of a small skin-on, boned fillet they can fit in the can
i think maybe salmon isn't a good candidate for canning.. i'd much rather have it fresh or smoked.
not objectionable, a nice level of smoke, but it's really sort of the lacroix of salmon. we can do better.
Fantis Jumbo Calamari Garlic Flavor
Pretty nice. A good tin for variety.
firm meat, great consistency
big, small, and in-between pieces
light garlic, classic mild calamari flavor
only bummer is the common octopus affliction of having grit or crunchy bits. they're edible, but don't improve the experience.
Bar Harbor Natural Smoked Wild Kippers
hadn't heard of this brand before seeing it at the store, so i had no particular expectations.
and still, none of them were met. a disappointing tin i would not recommend even if it was suspiciously cheap.
particularly large can
well-packed with lots of fish
lackluster flavor
unpleasant smoke
much more like a smoked herring, not quite a kipper
nice skin
not particularly fishy
skip this one.
Fantis Squids (pieces) in Ink Sauce
really pleasant
great taste
earthy and a bit sweet
excellent texture
unlike the other Fantis squid i've tried this was completely grit-free.
as good as my favorite Vigo version, less salty, a little more acidic. to my uncouth palate they're 95% similar.
i still haven't figured out what to pair or adulterate these with, i always just gobble them out of the tin. no regrets, but if anyone has ideas consider them solicited
Sultan Moroccan Sardines (in oil)
i'm not sure if these are mid or bad
taste is pretty good, though with a surprising slight bitterness
bone-in, skin-on, a couple of scales
nothing special about the oil
texture is a little dry
eh.. i'd prefer almost any other tin
Sea Castle Sardines in Pure Olive Oil
really nice tin
very accessible, truly skinless and boneless
similar to the benchmark Season brand
better texture
nicer oil
lighter flavor
the costco out by me started carrying these and at something like $2 - $2.50 a tin regular price, i think these are a steal. if they ever go on special i would definitely stock up.
@glencoe i for sure can, there are a couple of great southeast Asian grocers by me, will give it a shot!
so far i've tried [separately]:
crystal (the classic hot sauce)
secret aardvark drunken garlic black bean sauce
on a toasted tortilla with excellent mayo
togarashi
none of them really «improve» the calamari, not that it needs it, but i just want to know if i'm missing out on amazing kicks.
the best so far has been everything bagel seasoning, aka usian furikake
@dank you always have such dainty utensils for these. are you eating them slowly?
typically with canned fish, i just shovel as much as i can fit into my gaping maw in one go. often using a cracker as my sole utensil.
i think partly because canned fish have been banned from my home due to the smell and also because i just eat fast.
@hobbsc this whole thing kind of started as a small affordable fun treat to try a couple of times a week, so it feels fitting to really lean in to the modest whimsy.
depending on the tin, i might polish it off in five or ten minutes, but some are very rich or strong, like the cod liver. those might take a couple of meals or days.
canned fish has not yet become controversial in my household, so it's not an illicit pleasure. though i imagine that has a frisson of its own.
@sluttymayo Matthew is so good. i love "video channel - bedroom DJ type"
i recently tried kippers with eggs because of Heather and it's a really nice combo.
i think this might be a standby camping breakfast/lunch for me now, but as usual heating up a smoked fish is a great way to gas out your whole living space for several days. and this is coming from someone who used to spray lacquer indoors.
would go great with bufalo chilpotle sauce
@sluttymayo it's definitely an "outdoor kitchen" dish, i'm grabbing my little propane campstove and doing it outside from now on.
i can not imaging being a dog in a sizzlin' fish house. is it heaven or is it hell to be biting at air biscuits all day?
@sbszine i wish!! i think the realities of mass production probably make canning a single animal untennable. (untinnable?)
that said, most sardines and smaller fish are packaged whole (sans head and tail)
@plaidtron3000 it's really nice, actually! i grew up eating the stuff and recently rediscovering it was very pleasant.
in an SAT way..
krill is to shrimp
as
crawfish is to lobster
i like it straight out of the can, but mixed up with a bit of mayo, maybe some sliced chives and/or celery and carrot, it makes a great spread
Dan
St Woke of Pronouns
hobbsc has moved
🔥Cassandra🔥
Ruxbat! 🍉🦇
sbszine
the Stripey Goodness
sluttymayo
invispace
starkraving666
Plaid