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The Tin Guide

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Reviews

Every tin we’ve opened, tasted, and ranked. We buy each one at retail with our own money — no free product, no favors.

Painted illustration of Don Bocarte — Cantabrian Anchovies in Olive Oil
Don Bocarte

Don Bocarte — Cantabrian Anchovies in Olive Oil

Don Bocarte is the cult premium Cantabrian anchovy — hand-filleted, aged 18+ months, stunning to look at. At $32 a tin, it is also the most expensive anchovy you can easily buy in America. The question this review answers is whether it should be.

8.6 / 10 anchovy Spain $32
Painted illustration of Nuri — Spiced Sardines in Olive Oil
Nuri

Nuri — Spiced Sardines in Olive Oil

The best seven dollars in the category. Nuri's spiced sardines deliver real Portuguese hand-packing and a gentle chili warmth at a price that makes them a pantry staple rather than a treat. The tin most likely to make you a tinned-fish person.

8.3 / 10 sardine Portugal $7
Painted illustration of Fishwife — Smoked Atlantic Salmon
Fishwife

Fishwife — Smoked Atlantic Salmon

The most photogenic tin in the category, and — surprise — one of the most competent. Behind the much-discussed label is a genuinely good smoked salmon: confident smoke, clean oil, and a texture that survives the tin better than it has any right to.

8.7 / 10 salmon USA / Galicia sourced $14
Painted illustration of Conservas Ortiz — Cantabrian Anchovies in Olive Oil
Conservas Ortiz Editor’s Choice

Conservas Ortiz — Cantabrian Anchovies in Olive Oil

The benchmark American anchovy. Hand-filleted, salt-cured the better part of two years, and packed in a pale, restrained oil that lets the fish do the talking. If you have only ever met the anchovy as pizza-truck pungency, start your education here.

9.4 / 10 anchovy Spain $16