Tinned fish has an image problem. It sits on the shelf next to the things we buy in a panic, unglamorous and slightly forgotten. Which is a shame, because it is one of the best-value health foods in the shop.
Why it earns its place
Oily fish like sardines, mackerel and salmon are rich in the omega-3 fats linked to heart and brain health, and most of us do not eat enough of them. The tinned versions keep almost all of that goodness, cost a fraction of the fresh fillet, and last for years in the cupboard.
Sardines have a particular trick: because you eat the soft bones, they are a genuinely good source of calcium too. Few foods give you that much for so little.
How to actually eat it
The barrier is usually that people do not know what to do with it beyond a sad sandwich.
- Sardines mashed on hot buttered toast with a squeeze of lemon
- Tinned salmon stirred through pasta with peas
- Mackerel flaked over a jacket potato or a salad
- A quick fishcake from a tin, a potato and an egg
The quiet recommendation
Keep a few tins in the cupboard and you always have a five-minute meal that is cheap, filling and genuinely good for you. It will never be fashionable, and that is rather the appeal. The unglamorous foods are often the ones doing the real work.