A recent Westchester County Reddit group posed a question about finding a good tinned-fish selection in the area.
Tinned fish's popularity has risen in the United States as shoppers seek healthful, easy-to-prepare and more affordable foods. Tins of mussels, mackerel, sardines, trout, tuna and oysters, among others, are available at grocery stores. Tinned seafood has long been a tradition, called conservas, in Spain and Portugal.
Read on to learn more.
Where can you buy tinned fish in the Lower Hudson Valley?
Many, if not all, Lower Hudson Valley grocery stores have at least some tinned fish/seafood brands. They are not typically large sections, but, rather, one area in part of a store aisle.
Spotted at a Westchester StopRite recently, for instance, were King Oscar, Fishwife and Matiz, among other brands.
A look online at Aldi, which has two Rockland County stores, showed brands such as Northern Catch sardines,
Oil or water? Or maybe with a sauce?
For those wading into the tinned-fish world, there are some choices to consider.
Check the box that contains the tin. Sardines and Mackeral, for instance, can be in oil, water or a tomato sauce, depending on the box. You can also choose from fish with scales on or taken off.
Some tinned-fish brands have combinations of seasonings or sauces while others are simple. Online, sardines for sale were in everything from mustard sauce to hot sauce to soybean oil.
Tinned fish gets its own Westchester roll-out
In late May, DeCicco & Sons and Fishwife, a popular tinned-fish brand, held an event at the DeCicco & Sons Sleepy Hollow grocery store.
In the store's event space, Fishwife products, including mussels with sweet pepper and garlic, were arrayed on tables with Spanish cheeses and potato chips, fruit and Spanish ham.
Read McNamara, Fishwife director of sales, east, told The Journal News/lohud.com that smoked salmon with Fly by Jing sichuan chili crisp is a Fishwife best seller. It's great for stir-fry and other dishes, he said.
"It goes great in a hand-rolled sushi role. Put it on a rice bowl," he said at the event. "People are getting super creative in what they do with tinned fish."
McNamara described tinned fish as "a really quick, easy, convenient way to get your protein. It's super healthy, shelf-stable — lasts a long time."
Joseph DeCicco Jr., partner/buyer at DeCicco & Sons, said at the event with Fishwife that conservas culture "is driving food trends at home and in the restaurant industry: think tapas, pinchos and charcuterie boards. This is tied directly to the growing interest in Spanish potato chips," as well as cured hams from Spain, Marcona almonds and olive oils.
What are some tinned-fish prices?
Prices range on the tins on Lower Hudson Valley store shelves, based on what kind of seafood it is, a store's pricing and more.
Some of the Fishwife brand at DeCicco & Sons were priced at $7.99 and $8.99 on a recent day.
Varieties of Matiz-brand wild sardines were listed at $5.99 while some Matiz offerings were priced higher, at $8.99 and $9.99.
The website of Wegmans, which has a West Harrison store, showed solid white albacore tuna at $2.29 each and King Oscar sardines in extra-virgin olive oil at $4.49 a tin.
Goya sells a mussels-in-sauce tin that typically lists around the $4-plus range. Some basic canned seafood can list for less than $2.
There are other, ultra-luxury brands for things such as sea urchin roe, that showed prices online as high as $70 a tin.
Are there tinned-fish health benefits?
Tinned fish is known to benefit, among other things, heart and brain health, as it's strong in Omega-3 fatty acids — and delivers ample protein.
The American Heart Association recommends people have two servings of fish weekly (this includes fresh fish that needs to be cooked). A serving is 3 ounces cooked, or about ¾ cup, of flaked fish. "Fatty fish, such as anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefin tuna, oysters and mussels, are high in Omega-3 fatty acids," the association's website said.
But the association also advised to be mindful about salt (sodium): "Salt can be used as preservative. Canned food that does not taste salty may contain a lot of sodium as well."
For those who are pregnant or might become so, fish "provide key nutrients during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and/or early childhood" to support a child's brain development, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. But it is important to limit mercury in the diets of someone who is pregnant or breastfeeding, and in children. The FDA has an online breakdown of fish that are nutritious and have lower mercury.
What is the tradition of tinned fish and seafood?
Tinned seafood – conservas – are used for tapas or to make the simplest meals or more elaborate ones in Spain and Portugal.
In northwestern Spain's Galicia region, supermarkets carry a large number of conservas brands that can fill an aisle.
Fish and seafood — particularly fresh seafood — are a part of what's known as the Atlantic diet, in Galicia and northern Portugal.
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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Seeking tinned fish in Westchester? What to know at the grocery store
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