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Stockings Are Meant to Be Stuffed with Tinned Fish

Portuguese sardines in olive oil with piquillo peppers? Oh Santa, you shouldn’t have!
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Photo by Alex Lau

Excuse me, is that a candy cane? No, no, no. That will not do. Some of us need stocking stuffers that appeal to flavors we actually love and crave: sardines, smoked oysters, the salty sea air. Just imagine waking up on Christmas morning to a stocking so heavy with aluminum tins that you can barely lift it. Portuguese sardines in olive oil with piquillo peppers? Oh Santa, you shouldn’t have! I mean. You should. This year, give the gift of tinned fish with our handy guide to the best possible options available online right now (but if there are any importers reading this, please make more tinned delicacies available to the U.S. market!). And hey, you don’t even have to wrap them, the packaging’s so good. Hereeee fishy fishy.

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  • We ❤️ Jose Gourmet tinned fishes which you can track down in specialty grocers as well as on Amazon. The packaging is...
    Photo by Alex Lau
    1/11

    Jose Gourmet Sardines

    We ❤️ Jose Gourmet tinned fishes, which you can track down in specialty grocers as well as on Amazon. The packaging is thoughtfully weird and wonderful! But the delicious sardines inside are what we’re really after. These are hanging out in olive oil with lemon, but the tuna fillets, calamari in ragout sauce, and oily mackerel are all great too. Stock up and order a few 6-packs.

    Buy it: Jose Gourmet sardines, $14 on Amazon

  • Photo by Alex Lau
    2/11

    More Jose Gourmet

    Delightful! Love these. All you need is a baguette, some fancy butter, flaky salt, and you’ve got an instant appetizer.

    Buy it: Jose Gourmet smoked small sardines, $63/6-pack on Amazon

  • Photo by Alex Lau
    3/11

    Cantabrian Anchovies

    Did you know Cantabrian anchovies are the absolute best anchovies? YOU DO NOW! Unlike the ones you get at the grocery store, which are super fishy tasting, bony, and break in half when you try to remove them from the jar, these are meatier, butterier, and have a richer ‘chovie flavor. They’re wild-caught during just a few months of the year in the Cantabrian Sea, a.k.a anchovy heaven, and hand-preserved. That’s a lot of work, and it pays off. A life-changing gift for the anchovy lover, which is hopefully everyone in your vicinity.

    Buy it: Cantabrian Anchovies, $10 from Donostia Foods

  • Photo by Alex Lau
    4/11

    Ramón Peña Mussels

    Ramón Peña ANYTHING, honestly, because they tin them almost immediately after the creatures have left their watery home. So fresh. The plump little mussels come in a pickled escabeche sauce of olive oil, vinegar, and spices. Be a genius and gift these with a cold bottle of Spanish white wine, maybe some saltines. You don’t need much else. In life.

    Buy it: Ramón Peña mussels, $21 on Amazon

  • Photo by Alex Lau
    5/11

    Ortiz Ventresca White Tuna Belly in Oil

    Jarred tuna is cool, but how about some fatty tuna BELLY? Oh yes, the holidays call for this festive red box of Ortiz’s most luxurious tuna offerings. Put a bow on it. Done.

    Buy it: Ortiz Ventresca White Tuna Belly in Oil, $14 on Amazon

  • Photo by Alex Lau
    6/11

    Roland Sardines

    These are the easiest to find—I pick them up at my grocery store and eat them on toast for breakfast (COMMIT TO SOMETHING!). That pink-turquoise combo makes a person want to mix a mojito and forget the winter months ahead. The sardines inside are big, fleshy, and conveniently boneless. What an adorable source of protein too!

    Buy it: Roland Sardines, $45/pack of 20 (!) on Amazon

  • Photo by Alex Lau
    9/11

    Ekone smoked oysters

    American oysters, (sustainably farmed!) all the way from Willapa Bay in Washington state. Smoky, meaty, and sturdier than the ones that disintegrate when you try to fork them from the tin. If you can track down the sweet-spicy habanero oysters, press PURCHASE and sing “Merry Christmas to MEEEEE!”

    Buy it: Ekone oysters, $53/6-pack from Amazon

  • Photo by Alex Lau
    10/11

    La Brújula mussels

    La Brújula is a tinned fish darling so you can’t go wrong—order a sampling, make a dinner party of it! Whatever you choose, definitely don’t miss out on these mussels in escabeche or the bouncy octopus in paprika ($24),.

    Buy it: La Brújula mussels in escabeche, $6 from Wixter Market

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