15 Creative Chef-Approved Tips For Using Canned Seafood

The only brush many Americans may have had with canned seafood growing up is canned tuna. Josh Copeland, owner of Camino Alto in San Francisco, recalls he "used to eat tuna fish sandwiches all the time," and Stephanie Sandfrey, Executive Sous Chef of Jaleo Las Vegas, notes that "tuna sandwiches made with Chicken of the Sea or Starkist" were her only experience with canned seafood at all.

But times are changing, with influence from abroad. "Canned food is a standard of Spanish gastronomy," according to Oscar Cabezas, Executive Chef of Telefèric Barcelona. "Both inland and coastal areas value the aging of fresh, quality products." Copeland attributes Anthony Bourdain with helping these products take root in the U.S., recalling an episode of the late chef's television show "probably 20 years ago." The episode, he recalls, featured canned seafood being sold for $100 a can on the Spanish coast. "It was the first time I realized something in a can could be of such a high quality," he says.

These days, he and other top chefs are all in favor of canned seafood. "Fresh is an overrated word," he says, noting that canning seafood enhances its umami or savory qualities, bringing out the best in everything from squid to sardines. And whether you're relying on tried and true brands or fancy imported canned seafood, there are so many ways to use these products. Here are our chefs' favorites.

Tuna salad is a classic for a reason: The combination of rich, meaty tuna with creamy mayonnaise and raw celery or onion for crunch is delicious enough to have secured classic tuna salad's place in brown paper bags for generations.

"I've always loved a good 'ole tuna sandwich," says Julia Seidner, Senior Category Merchant at Whole Foods Market. "The nostalgic recipe is with mayo and relish on two toasted pieces of bread, cut down the middle. I also used to eat it on Ritz crackers in my lunch box at school as a kid!"

But there are loads of ways you can play with the tried and true recipe. Josh Copeland says that making his own tuna salad "was probably my first creative effort in the kitchen. It was the first time I didn't follow a recipe." His creative plays on the classic may have paired tuna with mustard, hot sauce, dried fruit, fennel, radish, chiles, or any number of herbs, nuts, or seeds. And that's not all. Pickled onions or capers are awesome ingredients to add to your tuna salad to bring even more brightness, brininess, and crunch, while soy sauce punches things up a touch with an umami-rich, savory edge. Double down on the richness by beginning with oil-packed tuna instead of fish packed in water, or deviate from tuna entirely, opting for canned salmon for a salad that's even richer in omega-3 fatty acids than the classic.

Low-carb dieters have long been convinced of the benefits of putting tuna salad on a bed of greens instead of sandwiching it between slices of bread, but that's not the only way canned fish can be enjoyed on a salad. Canned anchovies are a welcome addition to a Greek salad, while tinned tuna and anchovies team up to form the briny base of a classic French salade niçoise. Crab and avocado are a natural pairing on top of a salad, with or without a bit of mayonnaise for richness.

Josh Copeland loves using top-quality canned mackerel or sardines on a lunch salad or grain bowl for a quick and nutritious lunch with a bit more fishy flair than tuna. And at Jaleo Las Vegas, Stephanie Sandfrey notes excellent tinned fish is often incorporated into a cold salad with fresh lettuce, sherry vinegar, or even some stone fruit like apricots or peaches.

Rice, pasta, or other grain-based salads are delicious as they are, but if you want to transform them into a full meal, a touch of protein makes a phenomenal addition. And there's perhaps no better contender than an ingredient that has already proved its mettle in mayo-based salads: canned fish. Classic macaroni salad is happily mashed up with classic tuna salad for a mayo-dressed marvel perfect for any al fresco lunch or picnic, and that's just the beginning of where these combos can go. Cold cooked rice and crab stick or surimi are a common pairing on homestyle buffets in France, while in Italy, cold pasta is paired with pesto, avocado, and canned salmon for the perfect summer lunch.

Take inspiration from these creations — and your own pantry — to craft your own plays on this formula. It couldn't be easier, seeing as canned seafood is already cooked. All you need to do is add it to your cooked and cooled pasta, alongside some chopped veggies and a bit of seasoning, and you've got a delicious lunch for a crowd.

We're not knocking the classic tuna sandwich, but if you're looking for something a bit more impressive, open-faced sandwiches or tartines are one of the best vehicles for canned fish or seafood. Particularly premium canned tuna can really shine in this way, as ‌Amy Brandwein, chef owner of Centrolina and Piccolina da Centrolina in Washington, D.C., notes. She uses her favorite canned tuna from Bom Petisco in Spain in a delicious, simple recipe, pairing chunks of tuna and avocado with hot pepper, lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and sea salt. "Add toasted bread or saltines in the way of panzanella or add farm lettuces." 

Canned tuna can also be used to make a lovely tartine inspired by the Mediterranean flavors of salade niçoise, and canned anchovies are particularly happy atop slices of bread or rounds of toasted baguette in the form of crostini. A thick layer of good-quality butter or cream cheese can help attenuate the salty brininess of the fish.

Adding cheese to seafood can be a bit contentious, depending on who you ask. But as anyone who's tried a tuna melt knows, when it's done well, it's hard to imagine anything more delicious. And the buck doesn't stop with tuna. Canned salmon is a very happy stand-in for tuna, either with classic cheddar or milder mozzarella to offset the fishier quality of the fatty pink fish. And canned anchovies are a delightful addition to a caprese panini with mozzarella, tomato, and basil.

Canned mackerel doesn't get nearly enough love in the U.S., and that's a shame: The nutrient-dense fish is rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and it's particularly delicious on a play on a melt made with nutty, funky Muenster cheese and tangy rye bread. While sustainability ratings for mackerel have been falling of late, seeking out good-quality canned mackerel from purveyors like Patagonia Provisions, which guarantees the hook-and-line methods of its small-scale fishery partners off the coast of northern Spain, means you can rest assured that your choices are as healthy for your family as they are for the planet.

For a slight twist on the classic tuna sandwich, a tuna wrap is a lovely change of pace. A large flour tortilla holds crisp romaine lettuce, which acts like a shield to keep the creamy Greek yogurt-based tuna salad from making the wrap too soggy. Seasoned with red onion, garlic, parsley, and crispy fried onions, it's a delicious lunchtime option at home or on the go.

Take advantage of wraps to enjoy other canned seafood, too. Caesar salad or Greek salad are both even more delicious with umami-rich canned anchovies, and both become a far more copious meal when wrapped up in a tortilla. Crab and avocado is another classic pairing that makes a very tasty wrap. And if you've got a hankering for something hot, you can even use a tortilla to make a unique play on a tuna melt, combining tuna salad and cheese for a fusion quesadilla.

Josh Copeland grew up with salmon burgers, which, he recalls, his father would make "once in a while" when he was a child. And that's perhaps no surprise: Easy and delicious, salmon burgers are a greener alternative to a beef burger loaded with heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon patties are quick and easy to make in the air fryer, and you can enjoy them as they are or sandwiched on a burger bun with toppings like tartar sauce, tomato, lettuce, and onion. Pan-fried tuna patties are another fun alternative, which you can pair with sriracha for a welcome kick. Other forms of canned or tinned seafood can also be bound into patties. More flavorful mackerel or sardines can be subdued slightly with the addition of a bit of leftover mashed potato as a binder. 

Perhaps the best-known canned seafood patty is the crab cake, a delicious creation that boasts no shortage of regional variations. While proponents of the Maryland crab cake love it for its simpler approach to seasoning, Louisiana crab cakes, with their more robust aromatic profile, may be the better option if you're using canned crab rather than fresh.

The Ninja Turtles knew well that canned fish makes for an excellent pizza topping. Anchovies are perhaps the most classic fishy pizza topper, and indeed, our chefs sing their praises. Oscar Cabezas loves putting the salty little fish on pizza alongside briny olives and capers. Julia Seidner, meanwhile, is a big fan of spicy anchovies on her pies, dubbing the combo "absolutely delicious."

But you can also put other canned fish on pizza. Canned tuna is a popular pizza topping in Europe, often paired with red onions and oregano, and clams are integral to the New Haven white pie, where the sauceless base is seasoned with olive oil, fresh garlic, and loads of Romano cheese. Taking a page from this Connecticut cookbook, consider using other canned mollusks like mussels or squid on your pizza. Since these canned seafoods are already technically cooked, it's best to add them just after the pizza has come out of the oven, to ensure they don't overcook to the point of rubberiness.

While it's not hard to get most people to eat canned tuna or canned salmon, you may need to do a bit more work to make some of the smaller, less familiar canned fish appetizing to newcomers. Smaller fish like sardines are even richer in omega-3 fatty acids than many other, more familiar fish. But they're also more flavorful — some would say fishier — and they're canned with their bones. Thanks to the canning process, the bones become totally soft and edible, but for someone who's never eaten fish bones before, it can be a bit off-putting at first.

That's where fish pâtés and spreads come in. Blitzing canned sardines, mackerel, or other fatty fish with butter or cream cheese and the seasonings of your choice can attenuate their strength somewhat, transforming them into a delicious spread perfect for slathering on sandwiches or serving as a dip. And it turns out that enjoying them this way may make them even healthier. The bones of these fish are ultra rich in calcium, according to 2014 research from Korea's Pukyong National University. When you blitz everything together, you get to reap all of those health benefits with every bite.

While most sushi features raw fish, canned fish makes a great substitute. Not only is canned fish typically cheaper than fresh — especially the sushi-grade, premium fish you'd want to use if you were making homemade sushi — but it's also fully cooked in the can, which means that sushi made with tinned fish is perfectly safe for even pregnant women to enjoy. Spicy tuna rolls made with canned tuna are an easy, delicious treat, spiked with sriracha-infused mayonnaise and scallions for freshness and crunch. If you prefer, you can even sub canned salmon in for the tuna, as Julia Seidner loves to do.

She makes homemade canned fish sushi even easier by rolling the seasoned fish and rice into a sheet of nori and enjoying it as a hand roll or simply serving it on a bed of sushi rice for a homemade sushi bowl. Garnish your own sushi bowl with pickled ginger, sesame seeds, and sliced scallions before digging into this tasty, healthy treat.

Tuna noodle casserole is Americana par excellence, a nostalgic, comfort food dish that many Americans grew up with, including Stephanie Sandfrey, who recalls that her mom would "occasionally" make it when she was growing up. "It was probably one of my favorite throw together dinners," she says.

The most classic iteration of a tuna noodle casserole sees canned tuna paired with condensed cream of mushroom soup, noodles, and grated cheese before taking a trip through the oven. Crispy canned fried onions are the perfect finishing touch. Other versions of the recipe add green peas for a touch of vegetal sweetness or rely on mozzarella cheese for a milder cheese flavor and loads of cheese pull. But seafood casseroles don't necessarily need to feature noodles. Tuna-rice casserole is a fun play on the classic, featuring white or brown rice in place of the noodles. And a tuna-driven play on pot pie makes for a nice change of pace; using store-bought cans of biscuit dough means it comes together in moments, making it perfect for a busy weeknight.

Noodle casserole isn't the only way that canned seafood can pair perfectly with pasta. Canned tuna joins tomatoes, capers, lemon, and Parmesan in a briny, flavorful sauce for rigatoni, and canned sardines are the perfect base for bucatini con le sarde, which sees them paired with garlic, anchovy, hot pepper, golden raisins, fennel fronds, lemon, and toasted bread crumbs. It's a dish Amy Brandwein says she's "fallen back in love with" of late.

And that's not all. Pasta alle vongole or clam pasta is an Italian classic that often relies on whole clams, but it's just as delicious when you use canned — and as an added bonus, you don't need to worry about any sand or grit. Canned crab, meanwhile is a real treat in crab fettuccine alfredo that tastes just like the one you get at Red Lobster. And anchovies are a lovely secret ingredient in dishes like aglio e olio, where their richness in umami gives the simple sauce a touch more flavor.

New England clam chowder is a classic for a reason, with a luscious, creamy base studded with tender potatoes, smoky bacon, and briny clams. And by using canned clams, you don't just cut down on the work: You also get to take full advantage of the flavorful canning juices to get even more depth of flavor into the soup itself. The same is true if you opt to make the tomato-based Manhattan version of this soup.

But clams aren't the only fish you can use to make a tasty chowder. Canned salmon makes a lovely addition to a chunky fish chowder, and in Korea, canned squid is a staple ingredient in ojingeo jigae, a spicy squid stew with a red base that comes from a reliance on Korean chile gochugaru and Korean chile paste gochujang. Doenjang, which is a Korean soybean paste not dissimilar to Japanese miso, lends loads of umami depth and richness to the broth, and typically begins with a packet, making this soup a store cupboard staple worth trying.

Canned seafood works wonderfully as the base for a hot, cheesy dip. The flavors of baked clams shine in this baked clam dip, where they're paired with cream cheese and sour cream and topped with a layer of nutty Parmesan. Or you can journey to northern Italy with smooth and silky bagna cauda, the perfect dip to serve with crudités at your next dinner party, made with canned anchovies, butter, garlic, parsley, and cream.

Canned crab is delicious in a hot Maryland crab dip, mixed with cream cheese and mayo spiked with Worcestershire sauce and Old Bay. Both cheddar and mozzarella join the party for extra gooeyness. And canned tuna can add texture, flavor, and protein to a classic guacamole in this tuna guacamole that makes just as wonderful a dip as it does a sandwich filling. Pair any of these dips with crudités and crispy crackers for a delicious appetizer your guests are sure to love.

The recent rise in popularity of premium tinned seafood means that despite this wealth of ideas, you don't actually need to do much to showcase canned seafood at its best. In fact, for Oscar Cabezas, premium tins of fish and seafood are "a finished product to me." Eating them as-is is the best way, he says, to respect the artisan behind it. "The only exception we make in my family are cockles, which are usually finished with three drops of lemon, two drops of Tabasco, and a sprinkle of pepper."

If you want to split the difference between eating mackerel straight out of the can and doing a bit of work to help it shine, a seacuterie board might be just the ticket. This seafood play on a charcuterie board sees tins of premium seafood paired with their ideal accompaniments, such as wedges of lemon, cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, fresh herbs, or compound butter. Consider picking two or three, such as marinated sardines, marinated mussels, and chunks of octopus, and placing them artfully on a board alongside the accompaniments of your choosing. Pair them with ample crackers and breads, and go to town on this seafood-driven platter.