You most sardinely want these canned seafood ideas!

If you think of just tinned tuna when you think of canned seafood, it’s time to cast a wider net! A variety of the world’s best seafood—often packed straight off the line, with just a bit of salt and olive oil—can be found in canned format. And, we carry them at City Vineyard.

Change Your Perspective on Canned Seafood and Wine

Canning has been invaluable in the seafood industry and has been a great way for non-coastal dwellers (like Montanans) to access quality seafood products. So why is canning so great for seafood? It happens quickly after fish are caught, and it involves minimal processing of the fish. Both attributes result in superior muscle quality of the fish (preservation of taste) and reduced oxidation of oils (maximum health benefits). Further, for fish with small bones, the canning process dissolves these bones. So, there’s no need to search meticulously for these osseous annoyances. Actually, the dissolved bones add a good source of calcium to the canned product.

Our favorite purveyor of canned fish is Matiz Gallego, a Spanish company with a focus on old-world fishing techniques, artisan canning practices and environmental friendliness. City Vineyard’s current selection of Matiz products includes:

• Pulpo (octopus in olive oil)
• Bonito del Norte (white-meat tuna in olive oil)
• Sardines (both in olive oil and in oil with lemon)
• Sardinillas (small sardines with olive oil and sweet piquillo peppers)
• Mussels in oil and vinegar
• Berberechos (cockles, or baby clams, in brine)

These treasures from the northeast Atlantic Ocean are beautiful alone, but they also pair perfectly with a variety of other City Vineyard goodies: For wine, try Albariño, Rosé, dry Spanish whites (like Torrontés) and maybe even a light Spanish Grenache.  For beer, try Pilsners or IPAs.  For food, pair with a light cracker that doesn’t overpower the fish (like Cowgirl Creamery’s Rustic Bakery cracker); a Spanish cheese, like El Trigal Manchego; and Spanish Marcona almonds.

Recently, we sampled Matiz Gallego’s canned seafoods and fell in love all over again, and the most skeptical non-seafoodies joined us in being enamored. Unanimously, we encourage you to add canned seafood to your next City Vineyard shopping list.