A finishing salt isn't about adding more sodium overall, it's about texture and a final burst of flavor right before the bite. A pinch of flaky or coarse salt on top gives a different sensation than the salt already dissolved into the oil or brine.

It depends on the tin. Bright, vinegar-forward hot sauces cut through rich, oil-packed fish like sardines or mackerel, while smokier, slower-building hot sauces suit smoked fish or tomato-based preparations. Start mild and build up from there.

Finishing salts are coarser or flakier than table salt and are meant to be added right before eating rather than cooked in. They dissolve more slowly, so you get little bursts of salinity and texture instead of one uniform flavor.

Start with just a few drops and taste before adding more. Tinned fish already carries a lot of flavor on its own, so the goal is to accent it, not cover it up.

Yes. A familiar hot sauce or a simple finishing salt gives newcomers an easy, low-risk way to customize a tin to their own taste while they get comfortable with tinned fish in general.