Portugal

The History of Portuguese Tinned Fish

Portugal opened its first cannery in 1853, in Vila Real de Santo António, on the Algarve's border with Spain. From there, canning followed the sardine shoals up the Atlantic coast to Setúbal, Peniche and Matosinhos, just north of Porto. By the 1920s there were around 400 canneries along the coast. Most of the packing was done by hand and largely by women. Portuguese tins fed soldiers across Europe through both world wars, and a cheap source of protein became a national symbol.

What makes it Portuguese

Sardines, both large (Sardinhas) and small (Petingas) are the core of Portuguese canning, but mackerel, horse mackerel and tuna follow closely behind. The classic style is simple: fish packed in olive oil or a tomato sauce, sometimes lifted with piri-piri, lemon or herbs. The best canneries still pack by hand, which is obvious when you open the tin and see the beautiful fish laid in neat, even rows, with no broken pieces.

How things have changed

The tinned fish industry shrank sharply in the 1970s and 1980s, and only a small number of canneries remain. Most of the survivors chose quality over volume, focussing on maintaining tradition and practices. A new generation of brands has brought modern design and ambition to the tin: smoked sardines, stuffed squid in its own ink, and sauces borrowed from Brazil and Spain, sitting alongside the traditional sardines in oil or tomato  sauce.

How to eat 

• Sardines on hot buttered toast, with a squeeze of lemon and plenty of black pepper
• Spiced mackerel stirred through hot pasta, using the oil as the base of the sauce
• Three or four tins open on a board with bread, olives and a cold glass of vinho verde
• Sardines in tomato sauce, warmed and spooned over rice

The producers

Nuri is made by Conservas Pinhais in Matosinhos, one of Portugal's oldest canneries and one of the only ones that still does it almost all by hand. If you want to taste tradition, start here.

Tenório is a tuna specialist founded in 1880 in Vila Real de Santo António. It now cans in the Azores, close to where the tuna are caught.

José Gourmet was founded in 2008 to show Portugal's conservas off properly. Initially it worked with traditional canneries before opening their own cannery, and every box carries unique artwork from a Portuguese artist.

Ati Manel revives a 1922 conservas business. The founder's great-grandson rebuilt it from the recipes and supplier notes he found in the family archive.

ABC+ is the newest brand from the José Gourmet family. It pushes the boat out (pun intended) with bold flavours such as Brazilian moqueca and Spanish brava.

Buying notes

Unopened tins keep for years, and good sardines in olive oil soften and deepen as they age. Some Portuguese collectors lay down dated tins to mature, like wine. Store them somewhere cool and dark. The illustrated José Gourmet and Ati Manel boxes make brilliant gifts, or see our bundles and gift packs.

Why we're excited

Portugal has two things going on at once. The old guard, like Nuri and Tenório, are still doing things the slow way. The new wave is bringing innovation and experimenting with flavours and preparations. You can buy a century-old recipe and a Brazilian fish stew from the same stretch of coast.

FAQs

Is Portuguese tinned fish better than Spanish?

Neither is better; they're different. Portugal is better known for sardines and mackerel in oil or tomato. Spain is often known for Galician shellfish and Cantabrian tuna.

Do I need to cook it?

No. Everything is already cooked and ready to eat, though sauced fish is lovely warmed through.

Can I eat the bones?

Yes. Sardine bones soften completely during canning, and they're a good source of calcium.

Explore more: Spanish tinned fish · British tinned fish · All sardines