A week ago, my bestie sent me a video on Conservas Pinhais. If you watch the video, you’ll learn Pinhais is one of the oldest sardine canneries in Matoshinos, Portugal and one of the very few that continues to do cans by hand today.
In 1920s Portugal, there were over 400 canneries — now there are only 20 primarily because of climate change, lack of employees and a general lack of knowledge, among other things. My buddy forwarded the video because I’m into tinned fish; I follow several instagrams which define, display and dish up all sorts of tinned fish and shellfish. In my opinion, it’s the perfect protein-packed snack.
If your knowledge of canned fish extends mostly to chicken of the sea, educating yourself on tinned fish life is easier than you’d think, and Richmond is the perfect place for a deep dive. Several locally owned restaurants use tinned fish for myriad dishes. You can find cockles, a clam cousin, in brine at Adarra in Jackson Ward, skipjack tuna that was line-caught by hand at the new Shoreline seafood market on Patterson (from the previous owner of Yellow Umbrella Market) and razor clams at Jardin in the Fan District.
Drew Lucas, owner of Tuckahoe Seafood, stocks over 200 varieties of tinned fish and shellfish and is most likely the largest purveyor of tinned seafood in the region. Lucas, who purchased the store six years ago, says his customers love a good tin and followed him hook, line and sinker (punny) when they started to dig their heels into conservas.
Lucas started with the main lines but soon realized that while most are very good, there are other excellent cans of the freshest, most sustainable seafood. He says many people are a little wary of tinned seafood and he gets it: There are some misses in a sea of hits and you should always ask your local purveyor what they like in a tin. His gateway tins are almost always a trout or a sardine, like Fangst Regnbue Orred smoked Nordic freshwater trout, a light, mild and clean fish, or the traditionally fished and hand-packed Sardinhas boneless and skinless sardine, steamed before they are packed in a fresh, bright olive oil, placed on a slice of toasted bread, a plain crispy potato chip or crisp cracker.
Good news for either the canned fish pro or the beginner: On Wednesday May 15, Tuckahoe Seafood in collaboration with Kitchen Classroom are offering the Ten Tin Fish event highlighting all things canned seafood. They will be showcasing five different tins by themselves and five different dishes using tinned seafood from culinary pros like Hanz Doxzen of Quarter Horse, Kyle Morse of The Mayor Meats, Butter Boys Pretzels and Warren Haskell of Kitchen Classroom. Doxzen says his dish will be a sweet play on a delicious smoked eel; he will be serving sustainably-sourced, tinned smoked eel on top of a savory corn cake with cold, pickled shaved leeks dressed in a mild malt vinaigrette.
If you can’t make the May event, Haskell is hopeful they will do more. In the meantime, Lucas is ready to give you any direction you may need to start your culinary journey into cans.
Tuckahoe Tinned Seafood questions answered:
What’s the priciest tin at Tuckahoe? That would be the $99.99 Espinaler clams (8-10), a huge, Spanish clam harvested by hand at a specific time and temperature.
What’s the most affordable? It costs $6 to $8 for Ferrigno and Matiz, which includes a large quality of varying tinned seafood.
Best cheese for pairing? Manchego, Grafton white cheddar
What wine should I pair with my tin? Rosé
How should I eat my tinned fish? Try straight from the tin (maybe with a little hot sauce) or placed delicately on a crispy cracker like local Firehook.
Ten Tin Fish: A tasting and 2nd anniversary event takes place on Wednesday, May 15 at Kitchen Classroom on 9018 W. Broad St. at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Only ages 21 and up. Tickets are $50 a person. Here is your link to tickets.
