Smoked Salmon Caviar and Tinned Seafood

Smoked Salmon, Caviar and Tinned Seafood The art of conserving seafood in tin cans, after being freshly caught and prepared, is truly one of Spain's most fantastic exports. If you haven't experienced true conservas before, you're in for a real treat. What IS Tinned Fish? “Tinning is just a good way to preserve a fish at its peak point—catching fish at its best and then preserving it in such a way that takes very little energy to store and for a very long time,” says Kyle Bart, General Manager of Wixter Market, a popular gourmet seafood retailer in Chicago. Essentially, “fish in a can,” tinned fish is a centuries-old way of preserving and eating fish in Europe (specifically Spain and Portugal where it’s a part of daily life) and throughout the world. The fish are canned in a variety of oils and spices to complement their natural flavor. In the last few years, as more tinned fish brands and varieties from Europe have become available to us here in the U.S., tinned fish have been deliciously appearing on menus and in specialty stores. Contrary to a typical can of tuna, the tinned fish being imported from Spain and Portugal requires hard-earned knowledge and skill, which is reflected in the final product. “It is most definitely a craft,” says Bart. “The people who are doing it right learned from the people before them. They have been doing it for a long, long time.”