Bounty from the sea
Three ways to make canned fish fancy
Canned fish can be intimidating. Too many times in the past, we had courageously plucked a can of seafood from the supermarket shelves, only to come home and wonder, “Well, what the heck do I do with this?” It wasn’t until our time in Europe, where these ingredients are more commonly consumed, that we discovered their real beauty.
There’s an ocean of possibilities when it comes to eating these tinned delicacies — from laying them atop buttered toast to mixing them into marinara sauce for a plate of pasta. But for space’s sake, we’re giving you just three ways to have a positive experience with marinated marine life.
Tuna
We blame the 1950s for tarnishing tuna’s reputation. But good tuna packed in good olive oil is a true treasure, especially when accompanied by roasted sweet onions and tomatoes in this warm sandwich. K can tuna packed in olive oil, stirred but not drained K tomato, thinly sliced into circles N sweet onion, thinly sliced into rings
2 slices crusty bread, lightly
toasted
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Lay the rings of onion flat on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
Add a slice of tomato atop each piece of onion, season with more salt and pepper, then finish off each stack with a scoop of tuna. Place back in the oven for another 5-8 minutes.
Sandwich stacks of filling between two slices of bread. Enjoy with a napkin nearby.
Octopus
Learn to love these tentacled creatures for their mild taste and meaty texture. We like to pair octopus with pork products and crispy potatoes in this nod to the Iberian Peninsula. Bonus tip: You can substitute sturdy potato chips for the roasted potatoes, if you’re in a rush or if you just feel like it. 1 can octopus packed in
olive oil, drained
1 link pre-cooked linguica or
chorizo
4 large potatoes, scrubbed
clean and diced
2 T. mayonnaise
Juice from N lemon
1 t. Sriracha
Salt and pepper
Put potatoes in a bowl, covering them completely with cold water and allowing them to soak at least 1 hour to remove excess starch.
Preheat the oven to 450. Drain potatoes and pat dry. Toss in olive oil, place in a baking dish and cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then plate. Scatter pieces of canned octopus on top of them.
Cut sausage into diagonal pieces. Sear each side in a frying pan on medium heat for 3 minutes. Also place them atop the potatoes.
In a bowl, combine mayo, lemon juice and sriracha before drizzling over everything. Season with salt and pepper.
Sardines
When combined with marinated vegetables, sardines serve as a sublime snack … and the perfect excuse to turn your “Hora del Vermut” (the Vermouth hour) into “Dos Horas del Vermut.”
Take a skewer and gently thread it through a rotation of all of the ingredients until it’s full. Repeat, then eat. 1 can sardines, drained 1 can large green olives stuffed with pimento or jalapeno
1 jar roasted red peppers 1 jar pickled onions Short skewers