Canned Fishes: Breakfast Edition

I’ve been over working my writing— draft after draft, every morning in candle lighting, post meditation. I'm a story teller and if I'm not sharing I feel like I start overflowing, nearly exploding with stories. Recently those of my recent Mexico trip and my Arizona solo vacation. The unrecovered “perfectionist” part of me keeps editing, so today after draft six I had to move out of my way, back into my body out of my brain. Huffing and puffing, which climbing the stair master, I finally gave my head a break, blank space to breathe, Olivia, creating doesn’t have to be hard, Choose easy!! Everyones process is different, but mine is messy — in the kitchen, on the page, in the boxing ring…  Ahh, easy, I thought,  Like breakfast today! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day —  simple to create, easy to enjoy, a delicacy. I am endlessly discovering options including: 

Slow roasted Japanese sweet potato with pink salt &  ghee,
Chickpeas tossed with lemon juice, tahini, and chopped parsley.
I used to fry eggs in melted anchovy.
Leftover roast chicken with cold yellow mustard is a treat, and
I enjoy papaya with cocoa powder and honey for something sweet.
I often desire a palm sized avocado with lemon juice and guojuchang, but if I’m super tired,
an opal apple will do.
I serve what the body orders, the gift of listening, a skill I’ve sharpened, intuitive eating. 

My tummy woke me hungry after last nights veggie tacos —protein, was desired. Cue my canned fish fixation. I stayed clear of canned fishes for years until I discovered sardines after moving to NYC and became addicted. And when I opened Box + Flow, I called it my startup diet, fast, cheap + healthy: sardines, avocados, sweet potatoes, beer, and greens, my wallet and waistline thanked me. 

Beyond sardines, Italian canned tuna is now among my favorite things, Tonnino or Matiz, different from the Bumble Bee I grew up eating. My mom chopped celery diligently, tossed with Hellmans Mayo which nauseates me, but to this day is a literal love note to my dad’s belly. From high school until about age 23, I refused to go near anything tuna smelling, given the frequency of it in my upbringing and because of the time I went to a movie solo and the only seat open was front row next to a lady deep throating a soggy tuna sub with onions. Gross. 

Not gross was my breakfast this morning, a very easy masterpiece. I popped open a can of Tonnino the can I replaced after my boyfriend decided to eat the one I was saving — yes, we’re cohabitating and I’m still learning to share, but if you take something, replace it with the same, NOT some Trader Joes brand!! 

Tuna with dijon, lemon juice, cracked pepper and basil leaves…drain some but not all of the oil, fat is flavor. Add a tablespoon of dijon, a lemon squeeze, castelveltrano olives or chopped capers if you’re in the mood for salty. In the morning, I like to keep it clean, but add fresh basil for brightness and cracked pepper for extra bite. Easy tastes good.

Some of my favorite fishes below, and my canned fish guide from 2019, here.

Anchovies are the key to make any dish more appetizing:
 Cento are easy and cheap.  But I prefer Agostino di Recca

Favorite Sardines: Matiz or Bela in Chile Oil 
Fav Octopus: Matiz

Fav Tuna: Tonnino

Good but not my favorite: Conservas Portugal

Expensive Tuna, Mackerel, Anchovies: Ortiz

Expensive, but fabulous quality: Ramon Pena 

Patagonia + Jose Gourmet are packaged pretty, but ehhh … 

Cheap but worthy: Trader Joes canned daurade, canned mackerel, mussels in Chili oil and smoked trout, just be wary of the ones packed in canola or sunflower oil. Drain them first!

I welcome your reviews especially if you are a recent convert to the canned fish life! Love Always, Olivia