The tinned fish revival: how to build the perfect seacuterie board
Tinned fish has had a remarkable few years. What was once the preserve of emergency suppers and student budget cooking has quietly become one of the most exciting categories in food - turning up on restaurant tasting menus, filling dedicated shops in London and Lisbon, and becoming the centrepiece of what food lovers are now calling the seacuterie board.
If you haven't encountered the seacuterie board yet, you're in for a treat. Here's everything you need to know - including how to build one that will genuinely impress.
What is a seacuterie board?
The name is a portmanteau of "seafood" and "charcuterie" - and the concept works on the same principles as a good charcuterie board, but with the sea as its theme. Instead of cured meats and pâtés, you're building around premium tinned and preserved fish: mackerel, anchovies, sardines, mussels, smoked oysters, cockles, and whatever else takes your fancy.
Surrounded by good bread, crackers, sharp condiments and a glass of something cold, a seacuterie board is one of the most effortless, impressive things you can put on a table. No cooking required. Ready in ten minutes. Endlessly adaptable to what's in season or what's in your cupboard.
The key, as with all things in this category, is quality. The difference between a tin of standard supermarket anchovies and a tin of hand-filleted, properly cured anchovies from an artisan producer is enormous - and it's the thing that makes the seacuterie board genuinely exciting rather than merely convenient.
Building blocks: the fish
A good seacuterie board needs variety - different textures, different flavour intensities, different preparations. Here's how to think about it:
The anchor: something rich and oily
Mackerel is the natural choice. When properly tinned in good olive oil or a light tomato sauce, it's silky, rich and deeply flavoured. We love the range from Sea Sisters - a female-founded, sustainability-focused producer who bring a fresh, modern perspective to British tinned fish. Their mackerel is caught sustainably and packed with real care. A tin of their mackerel, flaked over buttered sourdough with a squeeze of lemon, is one of life's genuinely simple pleasures.
The sharp one: anchovies
Anchovies divide people - until they've had good ones. A properly cured anchovy is not the aggressively salty strip you might remember from bad pizzas. It's umami-rich, complex, slightly funky in the best possible way, and completely transformative. Serve them whole on the board, draped over good butter and crackers, or arrange alongside a small dish of the olive oil from the tin for dipping.
The textural contrast: mussels or cockles
Smoked mussels add a wonderful smoky, briny depth that cuts through the richness of the oily fish. Cockles, brined or in vinegar, bring a sharp, clean counterpoint. Both work beautifully and give the board a genuinely British character.
The wildcard: whatever excites you
Smoked oysters. Squid in ink. Sardines in escabeche. Part of the joy of building a seacuterie board is experimenting with tins you haven't tried before. The best boards have something unexpected on them - something that prompts a conversation.
The supporting cast
The fish is the star, but the board only works with the right supporting elements:
Bread and crackers: Sourdough is ideal - its slight acidity complements oily fish beautifully. Rye crackers and plain water biscuits offer textural contrast. Avoid anything too aggressively flavoured that will compete with the fish.
Butter: Good, salted butter. Serve it at room temperature so it spreads easily. The combination of butter and anchovy on a cracker is one of the great pairings in all of food.
Pickles and sharp things: Cornichons, capers, pickled onions, a little good chilli sauce. These cut through the richness and reset the palate between bites.
Lemon: Always. A wedge for squeezing, and some zest grated over the top of the assembled board if you want to look like you know what you're doing.
Soft-boiled eggs: Not essential, but an excellent addition. Halved and seasoned, they add protein and another textural dimension.
What to drink with a seacuterie board
White wine: A crisp, unoaked white is the natural pairing - Muscadet, Chablis, English Bacchus or a good Albarino all work beautifully. The high acidity cuts through the oil and salt and refreshes the palate.
Rosé: Dry Provençal-style rosé is another excellent match, particularly in summer. Light enough not to overpower the fish, with enough fruit to complement the smokier elements.
Natural wine: The tinned fish revival and the natural wine movement have been travelling in the same direction for a while now, and it's a happy marriage. An orange wine or a pét-nat alongside a good seacuterie board is one of those combinations that just works.
Non-alcoholic: A sharp, acidic kombucha or a good sparkling water with lemon does the same structural work as wine - it's all about the acidity.
A note on sustainability
Part of what makes premium tinned fish genuinely exciting is the sustainability story behind it. The best producers - like Sea Sisters - use fish caught at peak season, prepared in small batches and preserved at their freshest. Tinning is one of the oldest and most effective methods of food preservation, and when done well, it's also one of the most sustainable - extending the life of responsibly caught fish with zero waste and minimal energy input.
When you buy quality tinned fish, you're also supporting small-scale fisheries and producers who are doing things properly. That's worth raising a glass to.
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