Recently the Guardian author Thea Everett
analyzed new trend in the English domestic market. The range of canned fish that once meant tuna, sardines and, for the more advanced, anchovies, has become much wider. Now consumers can find stuffed squid, scallops and, for example, smoked oysters from Galicia encased in the silver boxes.
Canned fish become popular on TikTok. Users post recipes with delicacies such as tuna belly and mackerel roe using the hashtag #tinnedfishdatenight. In part, this trend is facilitated by new packaging for canned goods. It features intricate illustrations of seafood, cartoon images of glamorous women or rugged fishermen. Many of these pictures look very attractive, they can even be collected. In addition, there is also the element of surprise which comes with “unboxing”.
Shellfish and seafood have long been considered a "luxury dish," notes author Thea Everett. When people had high incomes, they could go to their fishmonger for a dozen fresh oysters. Paying bills now makes up the lion's share of income, but consumers still want luxury.
The brand Ortiz became the king of the new trend. This "Hollywood star" made his mark in restaurants, for example, in Melbourne, where canned food was served straight from an open tin along with toast, lemon and chili for $23.
London restaurants have also supported the new trend. Brixton's Bottle and Rye, for example, offers a plate of four anchovies on toast for £10. And the new Mayfair Saltie Girl restaurant has octopus in paprika sauce on the menu for £65.
Ortiz already has competitors - new players Zallo, Olasagasti, La Narval and Pinhais.
The head of the Tinned Fish Market company, Patrick Martinez, is sure that aesthetics plays a big role in the popularity of its products. Their sales have almost doubled in the last year. “In the past few months, I have seen a new wave of ‘canned fish love,’” he says. “I think people love the irony of a product that was once considered cheap but has now become a small luxury.”
According to the estimates of the international agency KVB Research, by 2028 the global canned seafood market will reach $42.1 billion.
Manufacturers of canned fish from all over the world will take an important place at SEAFOOD EXPO EURASIA, which will be held December 7-9 in Istanbul.