Dressed-Up Tinned Fish Recipe

Dressed-Up Tinned Fish with piece of bread and fork on plate

Dressed-Up Tinned Fish leverages quality fish, green tomatoes, hazelnuts and fresh parsley.

Chris Bernabeo

I remember when tinned fish first caught my eye. I was perusing the canned tuna aisle of a grocery store in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when I was touring the country as a teenage musical theater performer, and I noticed something: a can of sardines packed in oil. Bones and all, the line of little stacked soldiers was a revelation. Living out of hotel rooms — where a kitchen starts and stops with the coffee maker — would make anyone develop an affinity for the marvel that is precooked protein. It was the beginning of a lifelong love affair.

In recent years, tinned fish options have exploded, a serious improvement from the early days of one decent variety of sardine. You have plenty of choices in the world of tinned ﬁsh, but for this easy dish, I might suggest mackerel above all. Top it with a stylish garnish, like these pickled green tomatoes, and you’ll seem like you’ve done way more than open a can. —Sara Kramer

Dressed-Up Tinned Fish

Serves 4

Ingredients

¼ cup hazelnuts
3 small green tomatoes, 1 thinly sliced on a mandoline (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon lime juice (about 1 lime)
2 (4-ounce) tins of fish packed in olive oil, ideally mackerel, but sardines work, too
Flaky sea salt
½ cup parsley leaves

Cookbook that says Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes, Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson; food on plate, salad in bowl above it on cover

AARP (Courtesy Clarkson Potter/Crown Publishing Group)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275°F.

Spread the hazelnuts on a small baking sheet and toast for 30 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Place the sliced green tomatoes in a small heatproof bowl.

In a small pot, combine the vinegar, ¼ cup water, the coriander, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour the hot liquid over the tomatoes. Mix in the lime juice and let cool to room temp.

Pull the tinned ﬁsh from the oil in its can and arrange on a serving plate. Sprinkle with ﬂaky sea salt.

In a small bowl, combine the parsley, hazelnuts, a spoonful of the oil from the tin and a spoonful of the pickling liquid from the tomatoes. Toss to coat.

Top the ﬁsh with the pickled green tomatoes, followed by the dressed parsley, and serve.

Note: Green tomatoes can be a little tricky to ﬁnd. Talk to farmers who sell tomatoes at your farmers’ market, or pick a few unripe ones off your own vines if you garden. A ﬁrm, underripe red tomato will do just ﬁne as well, but green tomatoes are worth seeking out and great for more than frying!