What the Water Gave Us: A Letter for National Seafood Month

Every October, National Seafood Month rolls around, and every October I end up thinking about the same strange, wonderful thing: a small tin in a Denver kitchen can hold a piece of a coastline thousands of miles away.

For a company like ours, everything we sell starts in the ocean. The sardines, mackerel, tuna, and shellfish on our shelves come from coastlines all over the world, and each one reached us because someone went out on that water, did the work, and cared enough about the result to put it in a tin.

Tinned seafood is a tradition that grew out of necessity. Coastal communities needed a way to keep a good catch past the day it came in, and preserving it in oil, brine, or sauce did the job. Somewhere along the way it became a cuisine of its own. In Spain and Portugal, conservas (the Spanish and Portuguese word for tinned seafood) are served proudly at the table, not tucked away in the pantry. Every coast has its own version, with its own fish, its own seasoning, and its own strong opinion about how it should be eaten.

I'm thankful for all of it. For the people who fish and farm, for the chance to pull from oceans around the world, and for the fact that you let us put it on your table. It's a privilege, and I try not to forget that.

This year, I got to see where it all begins. I spent a week on the Galician coast in northwest Spain, then headed to Porto and down to the Algarve in Portugal to meet the people behind some of the tins we love most. Here's how it went.

Seeing Where Tinned Seafood Begins

From the Galician coast to Porto and the Algarve

Part one: Galicia, Spain

Seven Days on the Galician Coast

I spent seven days touring the Galician coast, eating mussels straight out of the Rías Baixas and watching skilled women pack mussels and sardines by hand. It deepened my appreciation for this craft more than I expected. There's really nothing like seeing the products you love being made from start to finish.

One of the first people I sat down with was Cristóbal Fernández, the founder of La Curiosa. We talked for a long while about why tinned seafood matters to him, and it was a little like hearing our own reasons said back to me. It matters to him as much as it does to us.

Then we headed out to the mussel bateas, the floating rafts where mussels grow on ropes hanging in the water, and I got to hoist one of those long ropes out of the Ría de Vigo myself. The rías are where freshwater rivers meet the salty Atlantic, which creates some of the best conditions anywhere for growing shellfish. It's nutrient-rich water, and a good mussel tastes like it.

Hoisting a long rope of mussels straight out of the Ría de Vigo.

From the water, we went inside the Mariscadora cannery, where those same mussels are cooked and packed. I got to be part of the mussel packing process, from the water to the tin.

Standing there got me thinking about FishNook's humble origins and how far we've come. Going from a small online store to meeting our heroes, the producers themselves, is a true full-circle moment, and a sign of many amazing things to come.

One thing completely surprised me: in Spain, tinned mussels outsell even sardines. As obsessed as we are with our small fishy friend here in the US, Galicia is even more obsessed with mussels, and honestly, I get it. When your local waters produce something that special, why wouldn't you want to eat it all the time? That's exactly what the locals do.

Behind every tin I saw was a small team doing careful work by hand. I also tasted some new products along the way, and I'm looking forward to telling you more about them.

Part two: Porto, Portugal

A Stop in Porto

After an incredible stretch in northwest Spain, I headed to Porto, where I spent time with the José Gourmet team at their production facility and took the Pinhais factory tour, home of the well-known Nuri line. Naturally, I had to wrap my own custom tin (below).

José Gourmet smoked sardines getting ready for their oil bath. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?

My own custom-wrapped Nuri tin.

After eating copious amounts of freshly grilled and tinned sardines, I've decided you just can't beat a can of truly great sardines: perfectly cooked, soft bones and all.

Part three: The Algarve, Portugal

Heading South to the Algarve

After four days in Porto, we headed farther south to Portugal's Algarve region to visit our newest supplier, who's joining the FishNook family in just a few months. The day we visited, their small team was hard at work producing beautiful tins of octopus in olive oil, and I can't wait to share more details soon. You're in for a treat with this launch.

Thank you for being here, for trying new tins, and for caring where your food comes from. We don't take it for granted. Here's to the oceans, and to the people who work them.

With thanks,

Jared

Founder & Chief Scallop Officer, FishNook Tinned Seafood Co.

P.S. If you try a new tin this month, tell us which one. Tag us @shopfishnook.