Conservas
Seafood conservas, or canned fish and shellfish, were not exactly on people’s radar say 10 years ago. Beyond tuna, many people thought of unappealing canned sardines or mackeral, tiny tins of strong anchovies and a few smoked things–oysters, clams. Gourmet, high-end and not always cheap canned seafood was not much sought after. Or easy to find.
Things have changed. Maybe it was the pandemic with the forced eating at home. Maybe the chefs and food writers tried them and were smitten. Maybe it was all those travelers to Lisbon where the canned seafood comes in beautifully decorated cans and seems to be everywhere. Then began the canned fish subscription services. People outside of Spain and Portugal were introduced to the stunning range of canned seafood.
What Comes in a Can
Spain and Portugal are seafood loving countries. They sit squarely on the global seafood map. Shellfish is caught and raised every which way. Barnacles hand-plucked from in-ocean rocks; clams dug up from the sand; mussels, oysters and scallops raised on ropes suspended from wooden frames into the waters of calm inlets; crabs and lobsters raised in cages or wild caught; sea bass, turbot and bonito line caught; blue fin tuna caught using a centuries-old system of nets known as almadraba.
Mussels, razor clams, cockles, barnacles, baby sardines, squid, octopus, tuna belly, anchovies. Packed in olive oil, preserved in escabeche sauce or simply canned in brine. Processed and canned within hours of coming out of the sea. Some people claim that the conservas can surpass fresh seafood in concentrated flavor. And they say that the seafood ages in the can and improves over time, much like fine wines.
How to Eat Conservas
You can eat the conservas straight out of the can, on bread or crackers, accompanied by vermouth or white wine. Or pair canned mussels with potato chips, as Spaniards do. Or you can make a pasta sauce with them.
Visit a Conservera
In northern Spain and Portugal we often include a visit to a canning factory (conservera) so you can see the artisanal work of preparing and canning the seafood. In the regions where fresh seafood is on the menu in nearly every restaurant visiting a canning facory lets you compare the fresh with the canned. For seafood lovers it’s a treat.