Smoked
At Don Reinaldo, the oysters and mussels are steamed whilst in their shells and then cold smoked before being packed in olive oil. At Papa Anzois the sardines are brined, drip-dried in trays and then cold-smoked for a couple of hours before the olive oil is added, the tins sealed and the steam cooking commences.
Smoking oysters, mussels and oily fish like sardines and herring is all about imparting flavour and enhancing texture when we are talking about tinned fish.
Oily fish like sardines, salmon and trout and meaty shellfish can absorb the smoke without the flesh drying out. Their texture remains moist and unctuous whilst taking on all the smoke's savoury, earthy and woody notes. The fish that go in the tins are always the firmest and freshest specimens from the fish market, meaning they are perfect candidates for smoking, their flavours robust enough to stand up to the smoke and even be amplified by it.
A TikTok trend is to do it yourself and give plain sardines in olive oil that smoky, barbecue flavour by covering the open tin with a square of kitchen paper and setting fire to it so that it chars the skin of the sardines.
Serving tips
- Fangst smoked salmon (or smoked trout) with cream cheese and dill on a toasted bagel.
- Fry some halved baby tomatoes in some olive oil, add minced garlic, and finally some parsley. Break up a couple of smoked sardines in the mix. Spoon onto some toasted sourdough and squeeze over some lemon juice. Garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley.
- The smokiness against the slight tang of cream cheese is a great combination. Smoosh some cream cheese on a slice of toasted baguette, top with one of the large smoked oysters, and garnish with lemon zest.
