22 Tinned Seafood Recipes You'll Want To Make
Fresh seafood is nothing short of superb. You can create all manner of delicious fishy dishes with this ingredient and cook it in a seriously wide variety of delicious ways. If you're planning a spicy seafood broil, then naturally only the freshest catch you can find will do. However, when you want to make a simple weekday tuna pasta or serve up a salmon fish cake as an appetizer, then you might want to reach into the pantry instead of the fridge or making a trip out to the fishmonger.
If that's the case, grab a can. Tinned fish is often way more budget-friendly and convenient than fresh stuff. If you're into the tinned fish trend, then you might want to check out some tips on how to best use this ingredient. Once you do, it's time to open up some of these terrific tinned seafood recipes you'll want to make again and again.
1. Canned Salmon Salad
Tinned salmon can be so delicious that you'll want to highlight the taste of it in any dish that you make. While many salad recipes mix in mayo, add Greek yogurt for a tang that lifts the flavor alongside lemon juice and Dijon mustard. Celery and red onion pair perfectly with tinned fish and add crunch. Just know that not all canned salmon brands are the same, so choose one that you rate highly.
Refrigerate your salad before serving so that the flavors can all come together. Serve on toasted rye or whole wheat bread.
Recipe: Canned Salmon Salad
2. Easy Salmon Patty
Tinned pink salmon makes for perfect patties without the need for complicated ingredients. Use dried dill if you haven't got fresh herbs and make your own breadcrumbs if you run out of panko.
To get the right texture, be sure to fully drain your canned salmon, then take out any large bones and mash the rest so that any of the softer ones are edible. Add more breadcrumbs if necessary so you can shape the patties. Serve with crème fraîche, greens, and lemon.
Recipe: Easy Salmon Patty
3. 15-Minute Air Fryer Salmon Cakes
Forget fancy fishcakes in an upmarket restaurant. Turns out you can make your own at home in practically no time. These work as an appetizer or mid-week meal and, while you can use any type of tinned salmon you like, wild sockeye salmon is definitely on the gourmet end if you feel like treating yourself.
Complement the fishy flavor with Old Bay seasoning or add your own mix, such as paprika, dill, and garlic powder. Taste and adjust before you add the egg. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, fresh chives, and lemon wedges.
Recipe: 15-Minute Air Fryer Salmon Cakes
4. Air Fryer Salmon Patties
When you're making salmon patties, it's important to drain the tinned fish and take out the bones. It's also a good idea to not overmix the ingredients — otherwise, you'll end up with a smooth paste. With these air fryer fish cakes, those chunks of salmon inside easily enhance the taste and texture of the final dish.
Serve these fish cakes with a salad or fries. Of course, you can't go wrong with mustard, aioli, or tartar sauce on the side, too.
Recipe: Air Fryer Salmon Patties
5. Easy Spicy Tuna Sushi Roll
If you're a sushi fan, then you know that it's a bit of a treat. This version is budget-friendly and made with tinned tuna. Technically it's a cheat recipe, but with spicy homemade mayo, fresh fish flavor, and soft sushi rice wrapped in nori, it's still spectacular.
Before assembling, flake the tuna so that it's not clumped together in the roll. These are especially good when served with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi.
Recipe: Easy Spicy Tuna Sushi Roll
6. Tuna Salad
Tuna salad is an easy classic. Aside from a can of tuna, you can switch up the other ingredients to suit your taste, not to mention what you've got in the fridge and pantry.
If you want a super creamy, spread-like consistency then be sure to add extra mayo. If you want to amplify the acidity of the tuna salad, add a little pickle relish. Don't forget to season with salt and pepper to fully bring out the flavor. Serve in a sandwich with crispy lettuce.
Recipe: Tuna Salad
7. Easy Tuna Casserole Anyone Can Make For Dinner
To make this easy tinned tuna recipe, just mix all the ingredients in a bowl, add to a casserole dish, and bake in the oven. Add frozen mixed veggies for a pop of color and extra nutrition. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes if you want a little more heat to cut the creaminess.
If you don't have any Greek yogurt, sour cream is a good alternative. Serve with crispy onions scattered on top to give the velvety noodles a crunchy contrast.
8. Simple Tuna Melt
There are plenty of reasons why grilled cheese always tastes better at a restaurant. However, this creamy tinned tuna and cheese melt is incredible at home, too. Thick slices of sourdough are ideal here, but any type of hearty bread will do. Provolone is a good melting cheese with a mild taste, while cheddar adds extra taste and tang.
Use water-packed tuna for this recipe, and if you want to add some pep then throw in a little sugar. Serve with soup, potato chips, or salad.
Recipe: Simple Tuna Melt
9. Pan-Fried Tuna Patties
When you want a patty, but don't want a beef, pork, or chicken burger then these tinned tuna ones hit the spot.
Add Sriracha hot sauce to give these patties a nice bit of heat to complement the Dijon mustard. Green onions and fresh parsley give the fish a fresh taste, while pan frying creates a lovely brown crust. Don't let the heat get too high to ensure that you heat each patty all the way through. Serve on a bun or alongside a salad.
Recipe: Pan-Fried Tuna Patties
10. Healthy Tuna Wrap
When you don't want a sandwich with thick slices of sourdough or rye, a soft and versatile flour tortilla is absolutely perfect.
Keep it fresh by serving tinned tuna on that tortilla along with crisp romaine lettuce. Greek yogurt adds tang and flavor with garlic powder and dried parsley. Once you've spread your tuna on the wrap, sprinkle on red onion and crispy fried onions for a crunchy bite. Serve with fries or potato chips.
Recipe: Healthy Tuna Wrap
11. Tuna Casserole
It's great to have a recipe in your repertoire that's a potluck party winner or ideal for weekday meals. This one calls for pouches of tuna, but you can use tinned fish with no problem.
The only cooking you need to do before placing this creamy, cheesy dish in the oven is boiling egg noodles. You'll also need to melt a bit of butter and add panko to create the crunchy topping. Cream of mushroom soup is the secret to the creaminess, while shredded mozzarella creates a tuna melt taste.
Recipe: Tuna Casserole
12. Mediterranean Tuna Pasta
Tuna pasta has always been regarded as a budget-friendly meal that requires minimal culinary skills. This recipe gives it a more grown-up appeal. Use tinned albacore tuna, sometimes also called white tuna, in water.
Mix the tuna with capers, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, Roma tomatoes, and parsley. You don't need to stop here, either. Add some cooked bacon bits for a salty bite or red pepper flakes to bring in some heat.
Recipe: Mediterranean Tuna Pasta
13. Copycat Jimmy John's Tuna Salad
Making tuna salad is super simple. However, it's not the number of ingredients you use that's important, but what they bring to the table, quite literally. You want the tinned seafood to take center stage, of course, but what about other flavors and textures?
Mayonnaise lends creaminess, while celery and onion add just the right amount of crunch. Salty soy sauce seasons the tuna and adds umami flavors, as well.
Recipe: Copycat Jimmy John's Tuna Salad
14. Simple Nicoise Toast
Don't you just love sophisticated comfort food? This Nicoise salad on toast is one of those tinned seafood recipes you'll want to make time and again. Use a can of yellowfin tuna which is nice and light, and make sure it's packed in oil so it's not dry. The same goes for the black Kalamata olives. Hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, and slithers of shallot build the flavor.
Use a skillet and brown thick slices of a rustic loaf. You want the toasted bread to be robust enough to soak up the salad ingredients.
Recipe: Simple Nicoise Toast
15. 30-Minute Tuna Pot Pie Casserole
A flaky biscuit top with a creamy tuna filling with peas, carrots, and corn makes a delicious comfort food dish. It's a nice change from a traditional chicken pot pie, too. What's even better is that you can use tinned tuna, making it super quick to make and bake.
Be sure you add your casserole to a pre-heated oven so it cooks properly. If the top browns too much before the cooking time is over, cover it with foil. You can also add more liquid to the roux for a thinner sauce.
Recipe: 30-Minute Tuna Pot Pie Casserole
16. Classic Nicoise Salad
There's something so gorgeously vibrant and nourishing about a classic Nicoise salad. Tinned white albacore tuna gives this dish a light seafood taste and texture. And with an easy homemade vinaigrette, it's not complicated to make, either. Make sure you fully drain the fish and then thoroughly incorporate the seasoning.
Fingerling potatoes, olives, green beans, and cherry tomatoes create a satisfying dish along with the tinned tuna and hard-boiled eggs. Together the ingredients look bold and appetizing, especially when served on baby gem lettuce. Wait to add the dressing until just before serving.
Recipe: Classic Nicoise Salad
17. Best Tuna Chili Pasta
Put tagliatelle and tuna together and you don't need much more in terms of ingredients and flavor. Garlic, chili flakes, and tomatoes are natural additions, though, and freshly squeezed lemon juice brightens up almost every dish, especially one with fish.
For this recipe, you'll want a tin of tuna in sunflower oil. Drain it carefully, so that when you coat the velvety ribbons in the tuna mixture it doesn't turn oily. This pasta is tasty as-is, but don't hold back from adding other ingredients when you're feeling creative.
Recipe: Best Tuna Chili Pasta
18. Silky Bagna Cauda
A traditional Italian bagna cauda dip isn't creamy, but crème fraîche works so well with salty anchovies that it's a welcome twist. The combination of a few simple ingredients means this appetizer is going to become one of the tinned seafood recipes you'll want to make the most.
Drizzle on some of the oil from the tinned anchovies when you serve the dip in a bowl. Eat it up with crudities, drizzle on a salad, or add a spoonful to a sizzling steak. It's also a great condiment to pep up a sandwich.
Recipe: Silky Bagna Cauda
19. Creamy Clam Chowder
Are you yearning for this classic New England dish? If you're using fresh clams, it can be a little time-consuming to make, so you'll be pleased to know that this recipe calls for canned ones instead. Add the clam juice to chicken broth to give the chowder extra flavor along with bacon, onion, and potatoes.
You don't add the actual clams until right at the end, along with heavy cream. Heat through but don't overdo it as the bivalves are already cooked. Serve with crusty bread.
Recipe: Creamy Clam Chowder
20. Easy White Clam Sauce Linguine
The wonderful thing about cooking with canned clams is that you can use the juice from the tin in the dish as well. This sophisticated white clam sauce linguine is a subtle, yet powerful pasta dish that you're going to love. Once you've sauteéd your garlic, add the juice to your pan with white wine to make the sauce.
Besides the can of minced clams, you need nothing more to bring out the flavor than lemon zest and parsley. This is scrummy with garlic bread.
Recipe: Easy White Clam Sauce Linguine
21. Baked Clam Dip
You can serve clam dip with whatever you like, from bagel chips to carrot sticks. The main requirement is that you serve it straight out of the oven. You don't need to shuck fresh clams for this classic, but remember to keep some of the liquid when you drain your canned clams to thin out the sauce.
Sprinkle Parmesan on top for a cheesy crust, and mix softened cream cheese and sour cream to create a silky texture. Add Sriracha and smoked paprika to make the taste of the clams shine.
Recipe: Baked Clam Dip
22. Copycat Red Lobster Crab Alfredo
Hands down one of the most amazing tinned seafood recipes you'll want to make is crab and linguine Alfredo. There are no words for how glorious the creamy taste is with velvety pasta, while the piece de resistance is fresh-tasting crab meat.
Fold the canned crab into a cream cheese and Parmesan sauce, then sprinkle more cheese on top when you serve it. Make sure not to mix the crab meat too vigorously as you don't want it to break up and disappear into the dish.
Recipe: Copycat Red Lobster Crab Alfredo