If you want some gourmet canned fish cheaper than usual price, try Marshalls, TJ Maxx or Homegoods. That's where I buy for hubby.

Asian markets are usually even cheaper, with a much larger variety and selection. The USA has strict import standards and Thailand's food safety standards are just as strict (if not more so, especially in regards to fish).

Asians in general, and Asian-Americans in particular, tend to be very choosy about their fish, so the quality in Asian market canned fish is generally excellent. Most of the labels (where I have shopped, anyway) are written in multiple languages, almost always including English.

Just as with American-canned foods, you do need to read the label for ingredients you wish to avoid, but I've found that the asian brands, especially from Thailand are of better quality and flavor than American "gourmet" brands. You get gourmet quality exotic seafood for the price of cheap, chunk tuna.

As to those that come in sauces, there are many low-fat, low-carb, and low-calorie options. One of my favorites is sardines in tom yum sauce (a low-fat, low-calorie, water-based hot and sour marinade) and another is sardines with pickle flavor (which is nothing like you'd expect. I expected it to be sour, but it's really not, just mildly spicy. I's packed with a carrot and jalapeno slice).

Chili sauces can sometimes be sweet (so if you're watching carbs, read the label to make sure it fits into your carb and calorie budget), but many varieties are low-fat, low-carb, and low-calorie.

Barbecued eel is very yummy, but finding a brand that isn't extremely high in sugar is a bit challenging, but not impossible.

Same with the fish in curry sauces, some are high in fat and/or sugar, and some are not. Sometimes the fish are fried before canning, so again you have to read labels.

Overall though, the variety, price, quality, and flavor in Asian market canned seafood is exceptional, both in imported varieties and in American-made seafood marketed to Asian-Americans.

The same is true of frozen fish in Asian groceries. However, if you're not a fan of fish with many small bones, be aware that in general, Asian people are far more concerned with flavor and quality than "boniness." I tend to agree that eating carefully (using your fingers if necessary) is a small price to pay for really good fish.

There are FDA guidelines for safe consumption amounts for canned fish. Watch out for in safe levels of mercury.

The guidelines and mercury levels have to do with the kind of fish, not the canning process. Mercury levels are cumulative, so in general, the fatter, larger, and older the fish, the more mercury ( whether fesh, frozen, or canned).

It's they type of fish you need to consider, not the fact of them being canned or not.

The smaller, younger, and lower on the food chain, the lower the mercury levels. That's why sardine, smelt, and kippers are such great choices.

I do like canned crab from Thailand. That is a real delight. Easily on a par with Dungeness which I also love.

Arctic Mama, yeah the skin splitting is nasty. Mine is also around my nails and specifically down my finger tips/thumb tips. I have about four at the moment and it hurts to type! Super glue worked well to fix them (!) but products such as new-skin seem to be the health-preferred solution. I had assumed mine were from filleting and rinsing 10 salted anchovies every night but (assuming you do not do this!), it could be the fish itself. Or just the weather.

I went grocery shopping today so got to the fresh fish counter. It's nearly spring so they had some shad roe available which I had never tried before.

It was 13 bucks but I bought some and fried it up to have with my salad. Delish!

Speaking of Thailand, I fly to Bangkok tomorrow for work. I am there a few days before visiting Myanmar. In Thailand I fully expect to eat fresh fish and work out as much as I can. That should be a good test for the skin splits to see if they get any better.

Trigger alert. This place looks awesome. I am going to try to eat there every day.

I don't know the ultimate truth on it, but BPA's in canned food are something worth considering. I had a link that explained it all well the other day. Was going to post it but didn't get around to it.

Anyone contemplating eating lots of canned food should probably read a few articles about BPA. Its a chemical thing given off by the lining of the can.

Yeah, I have read about BPA. I am willing to take the risk.

But there are a few BPA-free brands out there that I also eat a lot of. For example, Wild Planet and Vital Choice are (mostly) using BPA free cans now.

If you're near Boston (or in Boston!) there's Hong Kong Supermarket on Comm Ave, right off Packards Corner and it's fairly well stocked with goods.

And then there is Ming's in the South End right off the bus at East Berkley and Washington (and they've got their own parking lot).

I'm not sure where you are in the city but I figured I'd throw some out there. :D

If you're worried about exposure to BPAs and other xenoestrogens, the first and foremost thing to eliminate would be all food-touching plastics from plastic wrap to plastic storage and serving containers.

While bpa is only present in some plastics, there are many other chemicals in plastics, and we don't yet know the effects of all those other components.

I'm more trusting of the FDA and more skeptical of food safety scares than most people. When there's a new food safety scare, I do my homework and read the research articles or at least the abstracts of pertinent research.

So the evidence has to be strong for me to be concerned and even stronger to spur me into action.

All that being said, as a woman with hormone issues, approaching menopause, a little extra estrogens might not be such a bad thing, but even so, I have made changes to reduce BPA and other synthetic exposure, but I'm far less concerned with can liners as other food storage. The biggest risk being microwaving food in any type of plastic container.

I try to keep plastic out of the microwave (even plastic wrap that isn't touching the food directly), I've replaced most of my plastic storage containers with glass. I only use plastic for drygoods like flour, rice, and such. Eventually, as my budget allows, I will be swapping those out for glass as well.

Avoiding cans with BPAs in their liners while still using plastic containers and plastic wrap is like trying to discourage burglers by locking a window while leaving the doors unlocked and wide open.

I pick my battles based on a factual research-based assessment of the risk. Bigger risks get eliminated before smaller risks, which is why I've replaced plastic containers with glass but eat canned food - why I use artificial sweeteners in moderation, but do not use dryer sheets, carpet fresheners, or strong cleansers - and why I rarely wear cosmetics and fragrances, and am very picky about those I choose.

kaplods- whenever I come here, I always look for your posts all over the board. I love how you educate and help others, by providing sensible advice and excellent research, without being judgmental, harsh, or rude to other posters. Just wanted to say thank you for all the great posts and the wealth of information you provide on here on a daily basis. Also, congratulations to you on your wonderful weight loss. After several medical issues now being cleared up, I am hoping to finally get this weight off now. I hope to enjoy the success that you have so far- keep going, you're doing great! :carrot:

Found the 'Smiling Fish' brand in Thailand kaplods. 80 cents a can. Absolute bargain and delicious. I also bought a dozen or so cans home with me. Cockles in chilli. Clams in chilli. And fried eel in chilli. Yummy! It's just fish in a can too. No oil or anything to drain. Fantastic!

Then there was the Spanish baby squid in olive oil found at Frankfurt airport. 15 bucks a can. But oh gosh, so wonderful! A dozen of those also made it back. A rare treat.

I think there is material for a book here. Although I personally don't care for fish of any kind, I love reading about your canned fish adventures. The items you found on your trip sound exotic and truly delicious for piscivores. looking forward to reading more.

I thought I would reignite this thread.

I have been enjoying some fabulous canned fish recently.

Specifically Ekone smoked oysters

and

Vital Choice Sardines packed in water with no salt added.

Google them.

Yum.

I am still eating 5-6 cans a day (of different varieties).

Not dead yet.

Somehow I missed this post when you posted it. I LOVE Smiling Fish's clams in chili and fried eel in chili (haven't seen the cockles).

In our local asian grocey stores, the price per can tends to run .85 to 1.20, so it surprises me that the markup isn't much higher.

I was hesitant to try my first can of Smiling Fish clams in chil. It freaked me out a little, because I'd never seen dry canned items before. I knew from the rattle of the can there was no liquid, but opening the can and seeing no liquid still felt odd, but the flavor!

I found and bought a new brand of sardines (new to me) yesterday in our favorite Asian stote, but haven't tried them yet. The brand is Lido from the Phillipines, and the flavor is Sardines in Tomato Sauce, chili added. 60 calories, 2.5g fat, 3g carbs, 6g protein per serving (one fish, 3 servings in the whole can.

I didn't read the label carefully enough and thought the info was for the whole can (which did seem too good to be true).

I think of this thread now everytime I see any variety of canned fish.

I like fresh fish for dinner, but for lunch and snacks, I like the more intense flavor of canned. Smoked oystets are one of my favorites.

Thank kaplods. I'd be happy to post you a can or two (free of charge, of course, to a fellow 3FC-er) of the smiling fish cockles if you are interested in trying them! I know exactly what you mean about the "dry rattle". It is so weird, but so delish!

On smoked Oysters, I am in love with Ekone Oysters here in the US. $5.50 a can. But oh...my...goodness (I'd also post you one of those, if you'd like a try...they are that good).

I am unashamedly on two-cans-a-day of smoked oysters at the moment in addition to my other canned fish.

Tomorrow, I will be eating:

(with oats for breakfast) Ekone canned smoked oysters with lemon and pepper and Vital Choice canned Sardines

(with salad for lunch) Skipanon canned steelhead trout with East Point canned shrimp and Ekone canned smoked oysters.

Here is my stash:

Attachment 46036

Thanks Ian, but hubby reminded me that we do have them locally, so I can save you the shipping.

I had forgotten because the store that carries them is across town (actually a town over to be technically accurate). Now that we live only a few blocks from one of the nicest asian stores in the area, we almost never use any other.

We have at least half a dozen Southeast Asian groceries within a 10 mile radius and every shop has a slightly different selection. I need to remember that.

I also need to show hubby your stash photo, because he gives me a hard time when my stash exceeds 10 cans (which is probably why I didn't pick up the cockles when we saw them). He teases me all the time about my canned fish "problem."

10 cans sure beats my several hundred kaplods!

I am a real sucker for internet deals. If I see salmon or sardines going for half the price I can get them at the supermarket, I normally snap them up. Coupon codes are good too.

But you are ready for the zombie apocalypse (which hubby teases me that I must be preparing for with our various food stashes).

To be fair, we both collect more than canned fish. Our kitchen has a walk-in pantry that is bigger than our two bedroom closets combined.

The only stash we both equally appreciate and contribute to, is dried spices.

When we had a salvage grocery in town, our pantry was full to bursting (and all my stashes were much bigger than they are now). "Gourmet" and import items were usually marked down to ridiculously low prices, because most shoppers were reluctant to buy foods and brands they weren't familiar with, especially if the sell date price was nearing, not realizing that canned foods are good years (if not decades) beyond the sell-by date.

We could get sardines for $0.19 per can and lump crab meat (and once lobster) for $0.49, often in normally expensive, gourmet brands. When we found a good deal, we stocked up, especially on items we knew were unlikely to come in regularly (if ever) again. Unfortunately the owner had to close the business when he needed and couldn't afford medical coverage for his family.

I really don't eat much canned fish, other than albacore tune & skinless/boneless salmon. I can't stand oysters/clams (texture) and I'm afraid to try the more exotic canned items. I have issues with skin and bones. Yes, I'm rather picky. I did see something that caught my eye though, and I was wondering if anyone had tried them. They're canned tilapia filets in sauces from Bumble Bee. Anyone try these yet?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

They come in these flavors:
Curry Sauce
Mango Chutney
Teriyaki Sauce
Tomato Basil

Curious for those of you who do eat canned fish, do you cook it up? I'm curious to try canned or pouched salmon, as I think it would be a good backpacking food alternative to pouched chicken.

I don't think I could incorporate canned fish into my daily, let alone weekly, routine. I enjoy fish, but as a woman who wants to have kids one day I have to be even more cautious about mercury than a man. Plus it reminds me too much of cat food lol

An interesting choice though, Ian. Very interesting.

I would suggest pouched salmon rather than canned for backpacking. Don't need to carry around a can opener and the pouches don't have excess moisture in them. There are also Ready-To-Eat Meal Kits from Bumble Bee and other brands. These might be worth looking into. Ready-To-Eat

Can vs. pouch for backpacking is something I could write a book about lol - basically, either are fine and pretty much equivalent in terms of weight in reality, especially if you have the pull-top can (and my swiss army knife has a can opener). I'm more curious about what kinds of meals I can make using canned/pouched fish, because aside from grilling up a fillet I don't have much experience with fish. I use canned/pouched chicken to make some pretty gourmet meals out in the bush!

Thank you so much for posting this! I wasn't even aware these were out and will now be looking for them.:)

I love how tidy your stash is Ian!

This is a very educational thread so thanks for sharing. I really like canned fish and had no idea of how much variety was available. Think I need to branch out a bit from my usual selections.

Vital Choice have just produced a canned wild sockeye salmon "bellies".

http://www.vitalchoice.com/shop/pc/v...idcategory=222

It's pricey. It's probably a fad. It's over 10 bucks a can. Am I going to try it?

F@ck yeah!

Dang I had salmon belly sushi for lunch today and it was uhmazinggg!

And I found these today at a supermarket. A new release by Wild Planet. I have only ever had white anchovies in Europe. Can't wait to try them.

http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Planet-An...es+wild+planet

Still eating 5-6 cans a day. Feeling great.

Yep, still on 35-42 cans of fish a week. Not dead yet.