6 great no-cook ways to use all that tinned fish in your pantry

When a high of 94 degrees is in the week’s weather forecast and you don’t want to turn on the stove but have to fix yourself something to eat, don’t underestimate the power of tinned fish — it can be the foundation of an entire meal.

You might already have stacks of canned sardines in mustard, anchovies in tomato sauce, salmon with chili crisp and/or albacore in olive oil in your cupboard.

The tinned fish universe is vast — and growing — fueled by demand for sustainable, high-nutrient, low-on-the-food-chain seafood options. This is apparent on the shelves of your local shoppy shop, where row after row of options might include octopus, cockles, scallops, mussels, razor clams and more, in eye-popping packages with folksy illustrations or midcentury graphics. Sales of tinned fish in the U.S. reached $2.7 billion in 2022, according to market data, up nearly 10% from 2018. Prices vary wildly; you could spend $7 or $70 on a single can of seafood.

Thanks at least partly to the meteoric rise of tinned fish boards, the canned-tuna-is-what’s-for-dinner trend isn’t going away. And there’s so much you can do with a tin of, say, smoked trout or salmon, beyond even the platters of fish-plus-accouterments that have replaced charcuterie and cheese.

Make banh mi, all kinds of salads, spreads and dips, or a filling for stuffed vegetables. You don’t even need a can opener.

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Sardine Banh Mi

Making this classic Vietnamese sandwich is more a matter of assembly than cooking, especially when you go with an easy filling of sardines (a classic banh mi ingredient). A single baguette yields four generous sandwiches — or one long one, if you want to have a banh mi party.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 20 minutes. Serves 4.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Sardines on Fennel Salad With Walnut Pesto

Former Food editor Russ Parsons breaks down how to filet and grill fresh sardines, but you can use this lemon-y fennel salad with walnut pesto as a base for tinned fish too.
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Cook time: 20 minutes Serves 4 to 6.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Scopa Italian Roots’ Sicilian Tuna Salad

OK, you’re going to have to blanch the haricots verts and boil the potatoes — but it’s only 30 seconds for the green beans and 15 minutes for the potatoes. During that time you can prep all your other ingredients. You’ll have a composed salad of crisp haricots verts, capers, celery, baby potatoes and Italian tuna tossed with plenty of fresh lemon juice — it’s a feast.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 20 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

(Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times)

White Bean, Anchovy and Caper Spread

Grab that can of white beans, jarred capers and a tin of anchovies — blitz these in a food processor and the resulting spread has more umami than a crostino could ever want.
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Cook time: 10 minutes. Makes 1 1/3 cups.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Italian Tuna and Shiso Sandwich

Shiso’s fragrant, citrus-y herbal brightness is a natural match for tuna, and together they make a stunner of a summer sandwich along with salty capers and sweet tomatoes.
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Cook time: 15 minutes. Serves 4.

(Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Lidia Bastianich’s Roasted Pepper Rolls Stuffed With Tuna

Keep this a no-cook recipe by substituting jarred roasted red peppers — pat them dry, fill them with Lidia Bastianich’s zinger filling that includes both tuna and anchovies, and then roll, roll, roll.
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Cook time: 1 hour. Serves 4.

(Christopher Hirsheimer)