Dinner From a Can, No Apologies

In an ordinary hour, at the Fide tapas bar in Madrid, customers enjoy the best vermouth and seafood you can buy: pearly white mussels, large Galician mussels and sweet little shells that can be balanced on a pinhead, all served straight out of the box.

True regulars know that canned pescados (canned seafood) can be fantastic, even better than fresh ones. Remember your first taste of a great wine when you thought: Is that what I missed? After a lifetime of soaked sardines and tuna, we discover Cantabrian anchovies or white tuna in butter in olive oil.

A can handle spaghetti all vongole, mussels and seafood risotto.

In recent years, canned foods have appeared on restaurant menus in the United States, from Saltie Girl in Boston to Cata Vino in Detroit and Verjus in San Francisco.

Alex Ridge,

Co-owner of Thikito, La Vara and

St. John’s Julivert

in New York City, was one of the first heads of state to pay tribute to the Conservatives. I’ve always been fascinated by them, because they can improve the taste, for example. B. Anchovies, and can even change the texture, like. B. by shifting the mussels from hard to soft, she says.

A closet full of fish on the shelves of the house is never a bad idea, especially if you go to the supermarket less often. Spaghetti alle vongole, clam chowder and seafood risotto can all be prepared from a jar of cockles – without cleaning, steaming or peeling.

At night, when the kitchen is tempting, like a nasopharyngeal tampon, there are cans in one. Open the La Brujula mussels in Escabeche or the braised salted cod from Donostia, both of which are a delight, with a fruity Spanish red wine and a baguette to go with the pasta.

The Spanish neighbours soon point out that they too build excellent conservatories, and it’s true. But Spain is in a class of its own when it comes to canned seafood. Last year, the country transported 373,653 tons worth more than $1.8 billion, about the weight of the Empire State Building. Only Thailand produces more canned fish.

Seafood conservation practices have existed in Spain for centuries. The Romans built large factories here to process salted fish into garum, the ketchup of the Roman Empire. Later, the Moors probably brought escabeche, meat and seafood marinated in spicy vinegar.

In addition to generating know-how, Spain has clear geographical advantages. The Atlantic and Mediterranean ports offer access to a large number of hot and cold waters. The most expensive canned mussels in Spain come from the northwestern region of Galicia, where female mussel diggers, known as mariscadores, charge more than $100 a pot. Galician mussels have an exceptional flavour and texture due to the climate, he said.

Paula Murenza,

A guide for Culinary Backstreets, who organizes guided tours through the seafood area. She explained that upwelling is a cold, nutrient-rich underground current that originates in the depths of the Arctic along the Galician coast and allows mussels to be happily and well fed.

The proper handling of seafood is just as important as its origin, according to

Keko Alfonso.

Cambados Conservatorio, a small, family-run business in Galicia, which salts and ferments anchovies or marinates whole tuna. In the case of mussels, the speciality of Kambados, the pots of canned mussels must be packed by hand, one by one, immediately after harvesting, he says. These creatures are half sandy, so you have to clean them carefully. It’s slow. Sprinkled with salt water and hermetically sealed at the source, cambados are the epitome of sweetness.

Back at La Fide, the silver-haired bartender opens a fluffy glass. They sparkle in tight rows, like pearls in a jewel box. Their sweet, brackish scent hangs in the air like a sea breeze from a time capsule – a reminder that behind every box of fish hides a landscape, a story and human hands.

CHANCE

The incomparable Iberian conservatories

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