InOliveOil

The default and the benchmark. Fish packed in olive oil sits in a neutral, protective medium that carries flavour without masking it, which is why it is the preparation most often used to judge a tin on its own terms. The oil matters as much as the fish: a good extra virgin rounds out a sardine or a tuna loin, and the oil left in the tin is never waste, it goes over bread, rice, or a warm potato. Tins with mild piquillo pepper sit here too; the spicier chili and piri-piri preparations have their own categories. If you only ever tried one preparation, this is the one that tells you what a fish actually tastes like.