{"id":561875,"date":"2026-07-22T03:56:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T03:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/561875\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T03:56:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T03:56:13","slug":"why-this-high-protein-pantry-staple-is-trending-and-how-to-eat-more-of-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/561875\/","title":{"rendered":"Why This High-Protein Pantry Staple is Trending\u2014and How to Eat More of It"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the past year, I’ve developed a food obsession: canned salmon<\/a>. I order the stuff in bulk and grab it out of the pantry when I need a quick snack or meal. I’ll add it on top of a salad for some extra protein<\/a>, but really, I prefer to mix the stuff with some light mayo, add a dash of salt and pepper, and spoon it onto some multigrain crackers. It’s heaven\u2014and 21 grams of protein.<\/p>\n

My snack has proven a little controversial, though. When I describe it to friends, they’re not always so convinced, and when I’m visiting family, I get quite a few comments about the smell from my brother. But, as Icona Pop says, I don’t care. I love it!<\/p>\n

For the longest time, my canned fish affair was something that I thought was just mine, but recently, I’ve noticed more people are gravitating toward the swimmers, too. Earlier this summer, when I went to my friend’s apartment for a wine night, they pulled out some sardines, which they served with some lemon on crackers. Then, I went to Portugal and it was clear that actually, my snack of choice wasn’t weird. It was European.<\/p>\n

So, I tapped my go-to dietitian source and asked her what she made of the food, and how I can level up how I’m using it. “Tinned fish isn’t new, but it’s having a moment\u2014and in a good way,” she (Leslie Bonci, RD, a dietitian and the owner of Active Eating Advice) said. Here’s her advice for diving into the world of tinned fish.<\/p>\n

Meet the expert: Leslie Bonci<\/a>, RD, is a dietitian and the owner of Active Eating Advice.<\/p>\n

When it comes to tinned fish, you have a lot of options.<\/p>\n

There’s more than just tuna<\/a>. Sure, tuna (and in my case, salmon<\/a>) salad is classic, but let’s just say there are plenty of tinned fish in the sea. The most common ones are:<\/p>\n

Sardines: The fish you see plastered on Anthropologie shirts. They’re savory, fishy, and a meatier option.<\/p>\n

Mackerel: One of the most cost-effective, but a fishier taste and oilier. Use in a Manhattan clam chowder, Bonci advises.<\/p>\n

Anchovies: A love them or hate them kind of fish, per Bonci. They’re the saltiest of the bunch.<\/p>\n

Herring: A milder version of mackerel and sardines. Savory, flaky, and easily takes on whatever flavor you add to it.<\/p>\n

Salmon: This is a great entry-level fish. Try lemon pepper or ginger teriyaki to keep things interesting, Bonci says.<\/p>\n

And, yes, tuna: You know it. Mild, meaty, and savory. The “chicken of the sea.”<\/p>\n

One thing to keep in mind: “You don’t just have to go plain,” Bonci says. Many tinned fish come pre-flavored, like sardines in tomato sauce or tuna in Thai sriracha, so look for seasonings that sound best to you.<\/p>\n

3 Reasons You Should Stock Up on Tinned FishIt’s high in protein.<\/p>\n

Tinned fish is a great food to help you hit your protein goals<\/a>. Just one three-ounce can of fish has 21 grams of protein (on par with the same serving size of ground beef).<\/p>\n

And, “it’s a high-quality protein because it comes from an animal source,” Bonci says. That means it has a complete amino acid profile, or all nine of the amino acids your body can’t produce on its own.<\/p>\n

It’s good for your heart.<\/p>\n

As a health journalist, I’ve spoken with <\/a>many<\/a> cardiologists<\/a>, and while they strive to limit their meat intake, they’re all-in on fish. That’s because many types are rich in omega-3 fatty acids<\/a>, which are consistently linked with improved cardiovascular outcomes. (The tinned fish in this article are all part of the club!)<\/p>\n

People who ate the recommended two portions of fish per week saw a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease of about 10 percent, according to a 2023 study in Nutrients<\/a>\u2014and people who had a portion every day saw a reduction by up to 30 percent.<\/p>\n

It’s easy to use and easy to store.<\/p>\n

Don’t underestimate the ease of tinned fish, Bonci says. It’s easy to store, lasts a long time, and can be used to add protein to a meal with basically no effort at all.<\/p>\n

In my case, I use it to whip up a lunch in two minutes flat. It’s truly the pantry staple that makes my life the easiest when I need something nutritious to eat.<\/p>\n

3 Simple Ways to Eat More Tinned Fish<\/p>\n

If you’re ready to get in on the hype, here are three easy ways you can start eating more tinned fish.<\/p>\n

1. Add it to a bean salad.<\/p>\n

Tinned fish can easily be incorporated into bean salads (another trending food at the moment) for extra protein.<\/p>\n

If you’re already someone who loves this meal prep staple, you can try adding it to your go-to recipe. But if you’re looking for some inspiration, Bonci likes to mix cannellini beans, cucumber, feta, and capers with either salmon or sardines for a light, Mediterranean salad.<\/p>\n

2. Make seafood pasta.<\/p>\n

While part of the beauty of tinned fish is that you don’t have to cook, you totally can incorporate it into a meal you’re making. After you’re done making a sauce for pasta, add the fish of your choice in at the last minute so it can heat up and add some protein to your meal, Bonci says.<\/p>\n

3. Serve it with crackers.<\/p>\n

Want to really keep things simple? All you have to do is flake off chunks of a fish and serve it up on a cracker.<\/p>\n

If you’re looking to balance out the flavor (or disguise the fish) a bit more, you also have the option to make some spreads. Mash sardines up with Greek yogurt, cream cheese, or Brie to make a creamy dip, Bonci says. You can also make salmon or tuna salad using light mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Feel free to add celery or onion for some crunch.<\/p>\n

Speaking from personal experience, you don’t need to do a whole lot to make tinned fish tasty. It may raise a few eyebrows or get some unsolicited comments, but trust me, it’s so worth it.<\/p>\n

You Might Also Like<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Over the past year, I’ve developed a food obsession: canned salmon. I order the stuff in bulk and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":561876,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[237400,103,61,60,164343,237402,446,237401],"class_list":["post-561875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-canned-fish","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-leslie-bonci","tag-multigrain-crackers","tag-nutrition","tag-salt-and-pepper"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=561875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/561876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=561875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=561875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=561875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}