How Tinned Fish Is The Foodie Trend To Take Over Social Media

Every now and then, a food trend emerges that has the world wondering…why? One such revolution on the rise is none other than tinned fish. Since the end of 2022, influencers and food channels have been abuzz with segments trying out different tinned fish and incorporating it in new and exciting ways. But even though this trend is fairly recent, the concept of fish in a tin is decidedly not. 

Also Read: How Sardines Became The Most Iconic Fish In Portugal

Canned fish has a history that stretches back to the late 1700s, and the French inventor Nicolas Appert, who is often hailed as the "pioneer of canning." Preserved foods, particularly fish, proved to be of great importance to the French military due to their extended shelf life and easy availability. Subsequently, Spain and Portugal embraced this concept and have remained pivotal players in the industry, with canned fish becoming a familiar element in Spanish tapas. Although canned fish has steadily grown in popularity over the years, it has only recently gained widespread recognition, largely owing to its numerous advantages.

Advantages Of Tinned Fish

• Canned fish, unlike fresh alternatives, requires no refrigeration, streamlining shipping and conserving resources and energy.
• Its extensive shelf life prevents food wastage, ensuring you can use it as needed without concerns about spoilage.
• Being canned immediately after catching, the seafood retains a level of freshness unmatched by fish navigating a lengthy supply chain.
• The preservation process safeguards all the sought-after nutrients and health benefits of fish.
• With a range of complementary flavours on offer, canned fish provides a convenient, delectably prepared meal with minimal effort. 

Why Has Tinned Fish Become Popular

One point should be clear, when we examine the trend of ‘tinned fish’, it’s not your run-of-the-mill, supermarket-brand tuna chunks in brine. The fish that’s become such a star are usually high-end brands with carefully curated flavours, and labels and showcasing premium seafood. That being said, these sorts of tins have long been household staples in places like Portugal where since World War I, tinned sardines (sardinhas) have been in high demand and have become something of a national treasure. 

So why have they suddenly popped up all over the world? It seems to be a combination of the simplicity and the convenience that has become the main draw. Often hailed as ‘hot girl dinner’ people are loving how unfussy it is to use tinned fish in a recipe or just out of the tin on some crusty bread for a nutritious and delicious meal.

According to IndustryARC, the canned fish market is on track to make $11 billion dollars by 2027 and there’s no sign of it slowing down. In fact, some of this premium tinned fish is seeing a massive shortage in parts of the USA thanks to its runaway popularity. For Indian audiences however, choices are still slim and you’d probably struggle to find more than one variety (if that) of tinned tuna at your local kirana store. But as we’ve seen with the likes of activated charcoal, molecular gastronomy, Dalgona coffee and many more, international trends inevitably find a way to make themselves known. So perhaps India’s tinned fish craze is right around the corner and we don’t even know it.