The Sustainable (And Mediterranean-Diet-Approved) Protein Your Dinner Is Missing

Many things under the sun can be canned. The method was invented in France in 1810 to extend foods' shelf life, but it started to fall out of style as a way to preserve fish once more advanced freezing technology and transportation came around. These days, though, cans of smaller critters like mackerel, clams, mussels, sardines, and anchovies are making a comeback, and the global market for canned fish is expected to grow to $27.8 billion by 2025. It's like the process of canning makes these more abundant but less popular fish more palatable, which can actually be a great thing for our oceans.

Though overfishing rates in U.S. waters have actually dropped recently thanks to stricter regulations, globally we're still plucking more fish out of the ocean than can be replenished naturally. According to a 2018 report by the U.N., 33% of the world's marine populations are currently overfished, and nearly 60% are at max capacity. Only 7% are being underfished. Unsurprisingly, the species whose futures are threatened by overfishing are the ones we love to eat the most—your salmons, tunas, halibuts, and the like—while smaller fish populations are less likely to be tapped out.

"The big thing for our seafood line is to highlight the fact that we have to fish differently and really look at the ocean as something that is in direct need of restoration," Birgit Cameron, the company's managing director, tells mbg. "People are starting to realize that this poor tuna can't sustain everybody, and there are other alternatives that are really wonderful and can be great substitutes."

Beyond being a more sustainable swap for canned tuna fish or filets of larger fish, small canned fish are rich in protein1; vitamins B12, D and A; and omega-3s (especially when they're preserved in high-quality olive oil). By the nature of their place on the food chain, smaller fish are also less likely to contain mercury and other pollutants, which accumulate with each feeding in a process called biomagnification.

Tinned fish can stay fresh for up to seven years, which means that people have plenty of time to take advantage of these nutritional benefits. The health, convenience, and sustainability of tinned fish are reason enough to give the protein source a try. If you're a flexitarian who already swaps out the occasional hamburger for a veggie patty, why not switch up your usual fish order next?

High-quality tinned fish doesn't need much doctoring to taste delicious. Once you find a fish variety that speaks to you (mackerel tends to be the most mild and is a nice starter option for the canned-fish unacquainted), you can pair it with veggies and crackers for a midday pick-me-up, use it as a salad on protein, or plop it on a bowl of pasta. Rick Moonen, the celebrity chef behind RM Seafood, previously told mbg that his go-to preparation for canned sardines is to sauté them with some sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and spinach, then serve over crusty bread.