Say 'can do' delicious with these delicious tinned fish recipes

From tuna and salmon to mackerel, cooking with tinned fish is easy, tasty and often budget friendly, too.

Potstickers with tuna and wombok

Potstickers with tuna and wombok Credit: Benito Martin

Tinned fish can be a lot more than a quick lunch with toast. They offer an easy – and affordable – way to whip up a meal with what's in the pantry. From treasured Italian snacks, to unique dishes from Asia, Africa and beyond – these tinned fish recipes are sure to end up on high rotation in your kitchen.
Matthew Evan's recipe is quick and tasty, and a great way to make the most of tinned Australian sardines, he says.
Drunken sardines
Source: SBS / SBS Food
Take a little trip to Venice on your plate with this recipe from Emiko Davies, inspired by a ciccetto – a small morsel – that she enjoyed in a Venetian bàcaro.
Crostini with mackerel, olives and pine nuts
Crostini con sgombro, olive e pinoli Credit: Hardie Grant Books / Emiko Davies
Take a simple tinned tuna pasta up a notch with Adam Liaw's recipe. Caramelising the onion before adding the rest of the ingredients creates a deep, rich flavour base, while capers, chilli and garlic bring some added zip, too.
Tuna tomato pasta
Tuna tomato pasta Credit: Adam Liaw
Love a crisp-edge dumpling? This is for you. These classic crispy-bottomed dumplings are filled with tuna, wombok (Chinese cabbage) for sweetness and water chestnuts for texture. A lacy crust adds a next-level crunch to the dumplings.
Potstickers with tuna and wombok
Potstickers with tuna and wombok Credit: Benito Martin
Tinned salmon, avocado, lemon, mustard, mayonnaise and yoghurt are mixed together and popped on top of store-bought (or homemade) blini for a quick and easy canape idea by Justine Schofield.
Quick salmon blini
Credit: Outback Gourmet
This recipe for fish rolls, a popular Cameroonian specialty, comes from Ashley Vola. Made with a yeasted dough, the rolls are filled with a canned sardine and vegetable mixture, and served with punchy chilli sauce.
Fish rolls
Credit: Jiwon Kim
This is a fishy version of lemper ayam, a popular street food in Indonesia made using shredded, cooked chicken, which you could also use in this recipe instead of the tuna.
Spiced tuna and sticky rice in banana leaf
Spiced tuna and sticky rice in banana leaf Credit: China Squirrel
Inspired by the Brazilian hand pies called pastéis, these little golden parcels are filled with tuna, green olives and spinach –great for lunches or as party snacks.
Tuna and green olive hand pies with fennel salsa
Tuna and green olive hand pies with fennel salsa Credit: Benito Martin
Let's not forget the eternal appeal of a cheesy melt!
The tuna melt.
The tuna melt. Credit: In Bread
Sticking with the bread, tun and cheese theme, this tuna toastie adds capers, pickles and herbs.
Open tuna toastie with capers and pickles
Credit: Jiwon Kim
Simple is delicious (and quick) in this spaghetti bowl, made with tinned tuna, day-old bread and lemon zest.
Spaghetti with tuna, croutons and parsley
Spaghetti with tuna, croutons and parsley Source: SBS / SBS Food
This large round pie from Galicia, Spain, is traditionally often baked in a paella or pizza pan. This delicious version has a filling of onion, capsicum, tomato and tinned tuna.
Empanada-gallega.jpg
"Onigirazu is basically a sushi sandwich. It's very, very simple and a favourite for my children's lunchboxes," says Adam Liaw, of this tinned tuna and rice recipe.

Onigirazu
Credit: Adam Liaw

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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only.
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3 min read
Published 19 February 2025 3:32pm
Updated 2 April 2025 11:10am
By SBS Food bite-sized
Source: SBS

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