Sardine

The backbone of the tinned fish world. Sardines are small, oily, schooling fish caught across the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific, and they have been preserved in tins since the early 19th century when Brittany's first canneries began packing them in oil. The name covers several related species: European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus), Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax), and others depending on region. Portugal, Spain, Morocco, France, Norway, and Japan are the dominant producing nations, each with distinct traditions of preparation and curing. Tinned sardines range from mass-market commodity to hand-packed artisan conservas aged for years. Vintage-dated sardines from producers like Pinhais, La Quiberonnaise, and Real Conservera Española are treated like wine, improving in flavour as the oil penetrates the flesh. Among the most nutritionally dense foods available in a tin: high in omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, vitamin D, and protein.

How to eat it: nearly every form. Straight from the tin, mashed on toast to a rough rillette, laid on toast or as pan con tomate, tipped over rice, or tossed into a salad. Plain in oil it is at its most assertive, so start with a smoked or tomato tin if you are wary.