How to Throw a Dinner Party By Opening a Few Cans

By David Tamarkin

It’s time to get over your aversion to tinned fish. Not just because it’s healthy. Not just because it’s delicious. Because it makes dinner parties a breeze.

The easiest dinner party you’ll ever throw is the one where all you do is make a few salads, open a few tins of fish and put out a few baguettes. The reason you aren’t throwing this party already is because you think that tinned fish is cheap, acrid, odorous stuff that you’d never serve to company, much less yourself. But that line of thinking stops now.

When you get the right tinned fish (and I’ll be honest here—when I talk tinned fish, I’m mostly talking about my beloved sardines, though anchovies, tuna, mackerel and octopus are all fair game), you get succulent seafood that’s been soaked in good olive oil. In the case of sardines, you eat this seafood skin, fin, bones and all, and the combination is like eating something that’s been confit’d—the oil has softened everything, not to mush, but to a perfect, almost creamy consistency.

And there are bonuses. Bonus 1: Sardines are super sustainable. Bonus 2: They’re one of the healthiest things you can eat.

WHICH FISH? A TASTE TEST

One exemplary tin is all the gateway you need. And then, I promise you, you will fall in love. And when you fall in love with a tinned fish, you find yourself having not lunches, not snacks, but moments—a moment standing in the kitchen, eating straight from the tin into which you’ve just squeezed a little lemon, sprinkled a little salt. A moment in the middle of the night, eating a few sardines stuff into a piece of brioche and doused in hot sauce.

Good moments. Very good.

Unfortunately, when it comes to canned seafood, quality is key and not at all guaranteed—in our taste test, we found that the flavors fluctuated wildly. Our favorite canned fish, the fish we think works as your gateway, is from Gonidec, a Breton brand that produces the lushest, fattest sardines I’ve found. (Sometimes you can find reserve tins of Gonidec sardines. These have been aged, and with each year the sardines have become more and more rich. These tins are expensive. And mind-blowing. You’ve been warned.)

Related: These Addictive, Amazing 22-Minute Meals Will Change Weeknight Dinner

Close behind are the tins from Ortiz, which is famous for its tuna, but also packs exemplary sardines and mussels. Often these are set in a light escabeche (vinegar sauce) and they take on a texture that’s—as odd as it sounds—custardy.

One consistency among all the brands we tried: Seafood packed in water is bad news. Avoid at all costs.

THROW A CANNED FISH PARTY

Of course, a tinned fish party requires a little more effort than that simple squeeze of lemon and dash of salt. So I asked the Epicurious Test Kitchen to indulge my sardine habit and develop a few salads that could be spooned right on top of the tins. They complied and came up with three toppings, each with its own character but all with enough acidity to cut through the fish’s intensity. These were developed for sardines, mussels and octopus (polpo), though they will work with a good oil-packed tuna, too. (Anchovies could also work, but you’ll want to take down the salt in the salads.)

Throwing your tinned fish party is as easy as popping open some tins (two per person will get you through the night, maybe with a few tins leftover), topping some tins with a few spoonfuls of salad and serving the extra in bowls on the side. Put out a ton of bread and a big, bracing bowl of bitter greens and start pouring drinks. Wine is how you begin a tinned fish party; iced vodka is how you end it.

3 TINNED FISH TOPPERS:

Olive, Orange, and Egg

Combine diced segments of 1 medium orange, 6 pitted and diced Castelvetrano olives, and 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium bowl. Just before serving, gently stir in 1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley leaves and 1 diced hard-boiled egg. Makes about 1 cup.

Smoky Tomato and Almond

Toast 3/4 cup slivered almonds in a medium skillet over low heat until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in 1/3 cup diced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, plus 1/4 cup of the oil from the jar. Add 1 tsp. smoked Spanish paprika,2 finely diced garlic cloves, and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt and stir to combine. Makes about 1 cup.

Spicy Mint and Red Onion

Combine 2 Tbsp. finely diced red onion, 1 seeded and finely diced serrano chile, 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt in a medium bowl. Just before serving, gently stir in 1 cup thinly sliced mint leaves and 1 finely diced medium radish. Makes about 1 cup.

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PHOTOS BY CHELSEA KYLE, FOOD STYLING BY ANNA STOCKWELL