The best places to crack open tinned fish in L.A.

Octopus in butter with lemon and dill. Mussels in spicy escabeche. Smoked sardines with heather and chamomile. The tinned fish of today goes far beyond Chicken of the Sea.

Canned seafood traces back to early 19th century France, when Nicola Alpert, known as the “father of canning,” introduced the concept as a way of preserving large amounts of food during the Napoleonic Wars. Affordable and utilitarian, canning quickly caught on across Europe, especially in the seafood-rich regions of Portugal and Spain. Conservas, as they’re called in the Iberian Peninsula, preserve fish in oils and sauces that bring out its natural textures and flavors, and are considered a delicacy.

“Over the pandemic, it became one of those foods that you could have in your pantry that was kind of a luxury,” said Kathy Sidell, owner of Saltie Girl, a seafood-focused restaurant with locations in London, Boston and West Hollywood that flaunts one of the longest tinned fish lists in the United States. “It changed the paradigm of how we think about tinned fish.”

New, women-led brands like Fishwife and Tiny Fish Co. emerged, shifting our assumptions around tinned fish with colorful, eye-catching cans stuffed with responsibly sourced seafood like smoked geoduck with black pepper and rainbow trout tenderloin.

“The good news about this fish is that it’s caught and tinned within two hours at the peak of the season,” Sidell said. “I really don’t think you’re getting fresher fish out of the fish market.”

Able to sit stable in your pantry for years, tinned fish is the perfect summertime snack. On miserably hot days, it’s a quick and refreshing treat, a welcome addition to any picnic spread or an easy potluck hack. Like most seafood, it’s easily paired with wine, especially white, natural and sparkling options. Whether you’re grocery shopping or dining out on the town, here are 12 L.A. restaurants, wine bars and markets that are stocked with tinned fish this summer. — Danielle Dorsey