Y’all, Tinned fish is having a moment. It wasn’t until I was working with a specialty wine bar and shop last summer that I really learned how much. And then, of course, the TikTok virality of it. When you think of tinned fish, do you automatically go to sardines or tuna? Well, that’s what we’ve been used to for years, but .

There’s a lot of high quality seafood in tins. Not to mention the nutritional value in various options, high in protein and omega-3’s.

I don’t think there’s a “wrong” way to make a tinned fish board, but here are some things that I kept in mind when I made my latest one!

Steps to Make a Tinned Fish Board

Have fun with a variety of tinned fish

For this particular board, I selected tins of octopus in olive oil, rainbow trout with dill, smoked oysters in red chili pepper, and skipjack tuna in chili oil. H.E.B., Whole Foods and World Market came in clutch when it came down to securing the variety. Honestly, Whole Foods would’ve had everything I needed minus the octopus, which was pretty tricky to come by. But, the next time I make a tinned fish board, I’m going to secure all of my tins online! There are SO many options out there and a store shelf only scratches the surface.

Bring on the Brine

The salinity of a pickle or olive goes a long way when you’re preparing your board. It cuts through the fattiness of the fish and is quite the addition when you’re “stacking” the good stuff. I used baby gherkins and sweet pickled peppers stuffed with cheese.

Add different types of crackers

For the tinned fish board, crunch is a must! You need the play on texture, and lucky for me, I had two different types of crackers on hand. I just LOVE La Panzanella crackers for all kinds of boards and snacking, so I added the black pepper ones on this tinned fish board. Adding some rosemary & olive oil Triscuit-like crackers from Aldi added a nice flavor bonus to bites from the board. Fresh bread would also make a wonderful addition to a tinned fish board. My favorite combo? Rainbow trout with the rosemary olive oil cracker, and the black pepper crackers with the oysters and octopus. Yum!

Don’t forget the wine

I’m always in search of the best flavor pairings, so I thought wine was a lovely accompaniment to the board! I couldn’t help but indulge in some riesling and rosé to bring some of the flavors to life. If you’d like to recreate the experience at home, riesling is a bright wine and a good match for the spicer varieties like the oysters and the tuna. I LOVED the rosé with the octopus. There’s no “right” way to pair your wines with your fish, so what I would do is 1. look up the characteristics of the wine (does it say citrus, floral, etc.) and 2. think about the flavor and texture of the food (herbal, spice, etc.)

Is a tinned fish board something you are going to add to your entertaining rotation? A board is great year round, but I think they’re especially wonderful in the spring months (+1 if you celebrate Lent and make one on Fridays).

I’m sure I’ll be updating this thing so come back and see how the boards (and the tips) evolve this season. Cheers!