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Forget tins of tuna, wrapped in coloured plastic, that only come in multipacks. The best tinned fish has had a makeover. Well, actually we’re catching up with Europe, which has been doing it for decades, where the tins are known as conservas. It’s not about convenience and mass production, but artisanal production and celebrating quality produce. Some canneries, such as the instantly recognisable Ortiz, have a 130-year proud history, and are now in their fifth family generation.
Like magpies, we’re drawn to these attractive tins (recently, particularly through social media) that have really helped propel tinned fish back into our shopping bags and onto our plates. But that doesn’t mean what’s inside isn’t as good as its exterior suggests. These are premium fish, preserved in varying types of oil, depending on the fish, which ranges from salty anchovies from Spain to British caught mackerel.
Some people can find anchovies divisive, but they’re one of the best secret ingredients to really add oomph to your cooking with a real umami flavour, or can be blitzed into a salsa for added saltiness. My favourite way to eat them is incredibly no-fuss – on a thin lightly toasted piece of quality baguette. Below, all of the anchovies I’ve included are the brown variety, not the white. The former have been cured in salt for months, giving them a more intense umami flavour that’s delicious and salty, yet balanced.
Another plus when it comes to tinned fish is that aluminium is almost infinitely recyclable, meaning there’s no plastic waste or hard to re-use packaging. Now, from store-cupboard essentials to the most luxurious cans around, here’s the best of the catch, from Waitrose to Ortiz.
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The best tinned fish for 2026 are: Best overall – Sea Sisters smoked rainbow trout: £12, Openfoodnetwork.org.ukBest budget option – M&S Food Collection Cantabrian anchovies: £1.75, Ocado.comBest tinned tuna – Rockfish Cantabrian tuna in olive oil: £6.95, Therockfish.co.ukBest premium tinned anchovies – Premium tinned anchovies: £13.75, Bbrindisa.comHow I tested
I tried premium as well as purse-friendly supermarket cans (Emma Henderson/The Independent)
Every tinned fish in this review was taste-tested on its own, and on a piece of toast. From the quality of the flavour to how the fish are sourced, I go into my full testing criteria at the bottom of this review.
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Dining and Cooking