- 2 days ago
Looking for easy, budget-friendly dinners that are packed with protein and big flavor? In this video, Nicole is sharing 5 delicious recipes starring tinned fish—from sardines and mackerel to tuna and salmon. These simple meals prove that pantry staples can be transformed into satisfying dinners you'll want to make again and again.
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00:00Tinned fish is having a big moment.
00:01I'm making five simple dishes that turn sardines,
00:05tuna, mackerel, and more into truly delicious dinners.
00:08I'm starting out with Mediterranean baked sardines.
00:12I had sardines for the first time like a month ago.
00:16I know that's kind of shocking, but TikTok sold me.
00:20Sardines have been all the rage
00:21because of their health benefits.
00:23Also, they're still pretty affordable.
00:25Even the bougie ones, you can still get a meal
00:27for under 10 bucks, so that's what we're gonna do.
00:31I'm gonna start by creating a base flavor
00:32of a garlicky olive oil.
00:34So I'm gonna take some garlic, slice it,
00:37and let it infuse some olive oil
00:39while I prep the rest of the ingredients.
00:41Some call sardines, like recipes with sardines,
00:44you're eating your skincare.
00:46They're that good for you.
00:47Garlic goes in, and I'm also adding in some olive oil.
00:51Okay, I'm gonna put this in the oven while the oven preheats.
00:54That way it just kind of slow cooks and slowly infuses.
00:57The olive oil while our pan gets hot.
00:59Other ingredients going in, a little bit of onion.
01:02Let's look at our sardines while we're here.
01:04They make all different flavors now.
01:07You can get like so many in chili oil.
01:09For this dish, I thought the lemon would be good.
01:13I know, they're just not as scary as they used to be.
01:15Little fillets, and you can eat the whole thing.
01:17There's also something very easy
01:19about only having to open up a little can
01:23for your main protein at night.
01:24It makes for fast and easy dinners.
01:27After about 15 minutes, the garlic is good and crispy.
01:32The pan is good and hot, and now we add everything else.
01:36Keep letting the oven preheat while we do this.
01:38In goes tomatoes.
01:39These are gonna burst and get all juicy
01:42and help create a sauce.
01:44The onion, some olives, some capers.
01:47Also gonna add a lemon.
01:48So we have this briny saltiness going on,
01:51and the sardines also have that.
01:53All the tin fish in the can usually is a little bit salty,
01:56mainly because it comes from the sea.
01:58Squeeze in some lemon juice.
02:00Add the lemon right in.
02:02And I'm also gonna add in a little bit of red wine vinegar.
02:04So now, with the tomatoes, those other veggies,
02:08the lemon juice, the olive oil,
02:09we're gonna have this delicious sauce
02:12to enjoy these sardines.
02:13I'm just gonna lay these kind of right on top.
02:15Remember, you can eat the whole thing.
02:19Everything that's in this can.
02:20Why not add the juice too?
02:22Then I'm gonna add on a little bit of crushed red pepper
02:24and some cracked black pepper.
02:27We already have lots of saltiness going on here
02:29with the fish, the capers, the olives,
02:32so we don't really need to add salt.
02:34At this point, the oven should be about 450.
02:36We're gonna cook it high, hot,
02:38so it gets nice and caramelized.
02:39That's how you make sardines look fancy.
02:42It's been about 15 to 18 minutes.
02:45I'm gonna pull these out and top them
02:48with a little feta cheese.
02:50I'm gonna turn the oven to broil.
02:52Just give it about two or three more minutes,
02:55and dinner will be served.
02:58I'm a full-fledged sardine fan now.
03:00It's just beautiful.
03:01Gotta brighten these flavors up, fresh parsley.
03:05It's kind of like our green veggie of the day.
03:07The rest of the lemon.
03:09That is not your normal sardine right there.
03:11One way to turn this into dinner
03:13is to spoon it over some angel hair pasta.
03:16You wanna kind of break up these little fillets.
03:19Lots of good juice, but my favorite way.
03:24You already know.
03:26Tear me some crusty bread.
03:27Serve it up family style.
03:29Get a little bit of everything for that perfect bite.
03:33It's a sardine supper if I've ever seen one.
03:39The flavor is a 17 out of 10.
03:42The juice is like liquid gold
03:44all of the way everything came together.
03:46And despite what you might think
03:48about tin fish or sardines in particular,
03:51it is not very fishy.
03:53I really think this is less fishy
03:55than canned tuna or canned salmon.
03:58Tuna melt casserole.
04:00I feel like sardines have stolen tuna's thunder,
04:03but tuna is the original tin fish
04:05that everyone still knows and loves, right?
04:08So we're gonna make our own cream of,
04:11starting with just a little celery and onion.
04:13I'm sure there's people that are watching this right now
04:16that'd be like, we've been eating sardines forever.
04:19Well, good.
04:20Good for you.
04:21I just got on the bandwagon.
04:23Let me enjoy the ride.
04:25Let's get our sauce made.
04:26I'm gonna start by melting some butter.
04:29You also wanna go ahead and cook your egg noodles.
04:32I am keeping the noodle traditional here
04:33because that's what we love in a tuna noodle casserole.
04:37In goes our celery and onion.
04:39I'll serve in with a little fresh garlic.
04:41And this just goes for a couple minutes
04:43while those veggies soften.
04:44I'm gonna add in a little salt
04:45to help soften these a little faster.
04:47And then in with flour per usual,
04:50equal parts flour and butter.
04:52Let that cook for about a minute
04:54to cook the floury taste out.
04:56Pinch of cayenne.
04:58So far, assuming you have these pantry staples,
05:00this dish has cost you $0 or maybe a dollar.
05:05And now milk.
05:06All right, and then you just bring this to a simmer.
05:08That will tell you how thick it's gonna be.
05:09It will not have reached its peak thickness
05:12until it does come up to that boil.
05:14It's not gonna be super thick
05:16because we're going to add in pasta and cheese,
05:18so it's going to thicken as it cooks.
05:20Going ahead and adding half the cheese now.
05:23And cheddar because it's tuna melt.
05:25That's good.
05:25Now we finish it up.
05:28Just like in a lot of good tuna salads
05:29that make the tuna melt.
05:31Some capers.
05:32Make sure you drain them.
05:33A little Dijon mustard.
05:35Egg noodles.
05:36You know, tinned fish just sounds fancier than canned fish.
05:40Now to add our tinned fish, our tinned tuna.
05:43This you do not have to add the fancy kind.
05:46Just the little classic stuff is all you need here.
05:48But you can get fancy if you want to
05:50because there are all different kinds of canned tuna.
05:54I always like to add a little extra.
05:56Keep that protein high.
05:58I mean, there's a lot of protein in these little cans.
06:00Like 20 grams per can.
06:03And look at that, it's looking good.
06:05I'm not going to break up the tuna too much.
06:07I like for it to kind of still be a little chunky.
06:10All right, now like a good tuna melt,
06:12you've got to have your bread,
06:13you've got to have your tomatoes and your cheese.
06:15So that is what we're going to do.
06:18Some Roma tomatoes.
06:19I'm also going to add some cracked pepper onto that.
06:22Some more cheese.
06:23And then for the topping,
06:25we're going to use cubed sourdough bread.
06:28Toss this bread with a little butter and a little Old Bay.
06:30Make kind of like little croutons.
06:33Not your grandma's tuna noodle casserole.
06:35And then this just goes into the oven 400 degrees
06:37for about 20 to 25 minutes.
06:40Still pretty warm, so it shouldn't take very long.
06:42That's one of the best looking tuna casseroles
06:44I've ever seen.
06:45Add a little cracked pepper.
06:47I love the little tomato on top.
06:49It's kind of like dried out, like dehydrated a little bit.
06:52I was worried it might make it like soggy, but it did not.
06:55Oh yeah.
06:56That's a tuna melt served up
06:58like you've never had it before.
06:59I think I'm really going to like this one.
07:00I love the little flecks of caper in there.
07:07Mm, mm, mm, mm.
07:09It's delicious.
07:10I think the kids would love this one too,
07:12but it tastes like that elevated vintage casserole we love.
07:16The cheese kind of mellows out the tuna.
07:18Those little bites of caper are perfect
07:21because it just adds like a little brininess.
07:23And with the little bread,
07:25it does trick you into thinking about a tuna melt.
07:29If you like a tuna noodle casserole,
07:31then you will love this tuna melt version.
07:33Even with tinned fish,
07:34I've got something for your Taco Tuesday.
07:36This recipe, Mexican-style mackerel.
07:40Now we're doing this together for the first time
07:42because I, for one, have never had mackerel in a can,
07:47but there are a lot of recipes for this.
07:49Mackerel also being one of the more popular
07:51tinned fish these days.
07:53And I was shocked at how many varieties they have of this.
07:56Kind of like the sardines, lots of different flavors,
07:57but I did find a tomato flavor.
08:00Even a spicy tomato is popular with several other fishes.
08:03So we're gonna use that for this.
08:05This all comes together in a skillet,
08:07so it's the ultimate one-pot dinner.
08:08Also adding in a little shortcut, this Spanish-style rice.
08:11It almost comes together like a little bit of a stir-fry
08:14with a Mexican twist.
08:15All right, grab your skillet, heat up a little olive oil,
08:18in with my onion, let that go about a minute.
08:20And then I'm going in with some sweet potato.
08:22I cut these pretty small so that they will cook fast.
08:25I'm gonna cook this until that sweet potato starts to brown.
08:28Now we go in with the bell pepper.
08:31Cook that for a minute or so.
08:33I'm also gonna add in a little salt to help soften.
08:36Everything's softened.
08:38Now, going in with the rice.
08:40Break it up.
08:42Some jalapeno.
08:43I want that rice to get a little toasty.
08:45Let it do its thing for about a minute.
08:47Now I'm gonna deglaze with just a little bit of water.
08:50Time for the mackerel and the sauce from the can,
08:54and then we're gonna break up the fish in there.
08:59It does.
09:00It does kind of taste like tuna.
09:01That tomato sauce from the can, mixed with a little more water,
09:05it's gonna create a delicious sauce.
09:07I mean, your kids won't even mind that this is in here.
09:09The fish is going to just kind of blend in with everything else.
09:12And this didn't have the skin on like the sardines,
09:14so it might be a good place to start in your tin fish era.
09:18Finishing with a little black beans.
09:20And now at this point, you're just letting everything heat through and dinner is done.
09:24This is the one that's gonna surprise you.
09:26It is that good.
09:27Serve it up burrito bowl style.
09:30And then to finish, some cilantro and a good squeeze of lime.
09:34Mexican style mackerel.
09:37Who knew?
09:38It's a nice chunk of mackerel right there.
09:45Mmm.
09:46That is the surprising win of the day.
09:48There is a lot of flavor in that bowl right there.
09:52The fish stays kind of firm and meaty.
09:55It's not mushy in here.
09:56The rice has so much flavor.
09:58You get that little bit of sweet and spicy,
10:01thanks to the sweet potato and those red peppers.
10:03It doesn't taste fishy at all.
10:05Blends right in.
10:07Definitely a meal that you could sneak it in if you wanted,
10:09just to sneak in some extra protein.
10:11Getting those tinned fish in tomato sauce is like a built-in meal shortcut.
10:17Because it created so much flavor in this dish.
10:19100% you need to make this.
10:22Promise me you'll make this.
10:24We also don't want the show to get stolen from canned salmon.
10:29This is the classic canned fish slash tinned fish.
10:32And it makes the most delicious, of course, salmon patties or salmon croquettes.
10:36Today I'm doing a lemony salmon burger with our canned salmon.
10:41This is one that I actually keep on hand all the time because I can without a mean salmon patty.
10:47And it is a dinner that all of my kids like, so it's a win-win.
10:50Start with a little bit of onion.
10:52I'm going to chop it really finely because we don't want a big old chunk of onion in our little
10:56burgers.
10:57Into the bowl.
10:58In goes a couple eggs.
10:59You could also just use mayonnaise here.
11:02And in case you missed it, I have shown you lots of things to do with mayonnaise.
11:06First layer of lemony is going to be in here.
11:10Some fresh lemon juice.
11:11I like to squeeze it over my hand to catch the seeds.
11:14I feel like Rachel Ray taught me that.
11:15Some fresh parsley.
11:17And I'm also using fresh basil.
11:19Recipe called for dried basil.
11:20But summertime months, this is plentiful.
11:24When you add in some fresh herbs, it really freshens up a canned food.
11:28Whether that be beans, other vegetables, or tinned fish.
11:34And then in with a little breadcrumb.
11:36Smells so good.
11:38Oh yeah, one more thing.
11:39A little bit of crushed red pepper.
11:41See, you haven't had your salmon patties like this.
11:44Okay, now, if you've never had canned salmon, sometimes it can be a little scary.
11:49Because of the bones.
11:50You can eat them.
11:52I like to take out some of the backbone if it's in there.
11:55Let me drain it.
11:56Also the skin.
11:57We know salmon skin is good.
11:59I like to open it.
12:01And here are the little bones.
12:03I just pull them out.
12:04And the little pin bones that are in there, it's okay.
12:07They're not going to hurt you.
12:08You can break them up or take them out.
12:09I'm just going to flake this.
12:11You could also do this recipe with canned tuna.
12:13Just form them into patties.
12:15This will make four like really good sized burgers.
12:19A lot of boom.
12:20Okay, just going to get these pattied and then we'll hit the skillet.
12:24And we go in with a little oil.
12:25Let it get good and hot so that it will set a crust when we put them in the pan.
12:31Walk away.
12:32Walk away.
12:33What I like to do with things like salmon cakes and crab cakes is I like to start them on
12:36the stove
12:37and finish them in the oven.
12:38That way they get good and crispy on the outside.
12:40But the inside will also cook once you put it in the oven.
12:43If I just flip it and take it out now, it's going to be browned on the outside,
12:46but the inside is not going to be cooked.
12:48Do a good little crust like that.
12:50If you just want to keep them on the stove, just turn the heat down at this point
12:54and let it go lower and slower for the second side.
12:57We'll do a lemon basil mayonnaise.
12:59Very easy to create your own flavorful sauce when you use mayonnaise as the base.
13:04For extra lemony flavor, I like to add in some zest.
13:06That's where you get that good aroma and some juice and some more fresh basil.
13:12Cracked pepper and just a pinch of salt.
13:14Just doing simple things like this can really elevate a dish.
13:19Burgers looking good.
13:20I'm going to spread a little sauce down on the bottom.
13:24I'm also going to put on some mixed greens.
13:27You could also do this without bread and just serve it over mixed greens
13:31or just serve the salmon burger as an entree without the bun.
13:35Yum.
13:36I'm going to do a little more sauce.
13:38Cute, huh?
13:39Lemony salmon burgers.
13:46I just got a little like zing from that lemon juice.
13:50It's tender, not fishy at all.
13:53The lemon and basil in both the sauce and in the patty really elevates it.
13:57It lightens it up, makes it perfect.
13:59For summer, we know salmon is a superior tinned fish.
14:04You got to make this one too.
14:07So sardines are the most viral sensation right now.
14:10I'm giving you one more sardine recipe.
14:12This dish is called caramelized sardines.
14:15These are just regular sardines packed in olive oil.
14:19The scariest part is opening the can.
14:21This is a traditional Vietnamese dish.
14:24Of course, my version is more of a riff on it.
14:27And it's typically made with a different type of fish, maybe something like mackerel.
14:31But I saw someone do it with sardines and that's what I want to do.
14:36So you start with a neutral oil.
14:38And to that, we're going to add some sugar and caramelize the sugar.
14:41So this is going to be like a sweet and salty, a little bit spicy dish.
14:45Cook this for a few minutes until it becomes a light brown.
14:47Obviously, I've never made this before, but I am a good researcher and I have been paying attention.
14:53And I think it's going to work just fine.
14:56Okay, once it gets light brown, you don't want it to burn, so you have to watch it.
15:00Things can change quickly.
15:02I'm going to drop in some onion and garlic.
15:04Now in goes the star of the show.
15:07Sardines.
15:08Just kind of leave them in big pieces.
15:11The little crushed red pepper.
15:13You could just use fresh chilies here.
15:15And then you want to cook this until it browns, caramelizes.
15:18All right, you've got that caramelized sugar kind of getting thick and syrupy.
15:24Onion, garlic.
15:25Now we go in with some fish sauce.
15:26Remember, I talked about this is an item you should add to your pantry staples.
15:31It just adds that kind of umami flavor.
15:33There's a time and a place for it.
15:35And this is the time and place.
15:36It's also salty.
15:38And traditionally, this is made with coconut water.
15:42And it's just a little bit.
15:42You could also just use regular water.
15:44Let that simmer, thicken a little bit.
15:47And this is the dish.
15:48We're going to serve this over rice.
15:49But it's all about the accoutrements that go with it.
15:52The final step is just a little splash of soy sauce.
15:55But I'm telling you, it's all about how we serve it up.
15:57You trust me.
15:58I still think you trust me.
15:59I will admit it's maybe not the prettiest one of the day.
16:02But we're about to make it pretty.
16:03Got some hot rice.
16:05Then I'm going to make it kind of like a little bowl.
16:08Serve it with some cucumbers.
16:09And then you want to add some heat.
16:12So some fresh chilies.
16:14I'm just going to do some jalapeno.
16:16Some green onion.
16:17Oh, I forgot black pepper too.
16:20I was supposed to put that black pepper in the sauce.
16:22And then a little fresh cilantro.
16:25Come on, you know that looks good.
16:27I'm going to go for one more drizzle.
16:29The final tinned fish dish is done.
16:34Caramelized sardines.
16:35Okay, I'm going to have to build the perfect bite for this.
16:37Some sardine with the sauce and the rice and the chili and the cilantro.
16:45It's all about the sardine, baby.
16:52If you are feeling a little more adventurous, this is the dish to make.
16:57It is so simple.
16:58It's the fastest one of the day.
16:59I mean, this is a really good way to eat that skin care.
17:02Packed with nutrients.
17:03Packed with flavor.
17:04This one's going to surprise you.
17:06I'm telling you.
17:07And the way you can build those perfect bites.
17:09It's hot and cold.
17:11It's sweet and spicy.
17:12It's fresh.
17:13So fresh.
17:18You don't believe me.
17:20I feel like I could do a whole episode just on sardines.
17:22There's so much you can do with it.
17:23Even though I just tasted them for the first time about a month ago,
17:27I crave them now on a regular basis.
17:29Whether you're trying it for the first time or you're upgrading a classic like the tuna casserole,
17:34it's time to start stocking your pantry with the 10 fish.
17:38I promise you won't be disappointed.
17:40Do it.
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