Yes we can.
Portuguese food at our local level is largely associated with chicken, peri-peri and tarts. The sunny Iberian state is actually an international seafood heavyweight - flexing crisp Atlantic waters and a diverse marine geography, it bears an extensive seafaring history.
To illustrate, the Portuguese consume as much fish as South Korea per capita, and more than double the amount as Australians. They absolutely love their fish. To no surprise, they have a 500 year plus tradition of preserving fish - bacalhau or salted cod is more iconic a cultural export than CR7. Fish, and especially sardines also play a socio-cultural role. From ceramic art, to celebrations of saints, to everyday idioms, the humble sardine is packed into the Portuguese psyche.
Canned seafood is serious business in both Portugal and Spain. At a bar or restaurant, it is completely acceptable to serve mussels, sardines, octopus, razor clams and much more straight from the can. This could be on a little bit of toast, or alone in its juices with some chips on the side. The quality of product is gun. With the some of the best olive oil and high standards of packing and preparation, canned seafood is an astute menu choice in this part of the world.
At Sol e Pesca in Lisbon, everything on the menu is plucked out of the glass cabinets from a can before being plated. The simple dishes like the sardines on rye toast and tuna on sourdough provide a shocking lesson on how good canned fish can be. The tuna on sale at Woolies might as well be cat food compared to this. The cornbread and cod “cake” is light and texturally fun, while the anchovies and thyme on apples are a chemical party, tasting like cheese in a quick bite.
With Josh Niland striving to change the Australian narrative of fish in our landscape, canned fish will hopefully gain more respect and appear more readily. The only downside is the great culture of packaging, which means hours of browsing at the supermarket - they all look so cool!
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