A Tinned Tasting Menu
If you've been to a tapas bar abroad, then you know the delight of pairing tinned fish alcohol. While not as common in the US as say, pretzels and peanuts, there's a tinned-loving bar underground that's really starting to catch on. Destinations like Old Pal in Portland, Oregon, La Bande in San Francisco, and The Shop in Portland, Maine feature tinned fish and conservas with beer, wine, and other delicious beverages.
Recently, we partnered with our friends at Delaware Supply in Albany, New York and 3 Fonteinen to bring a beer and tinned pairing to a lucky few. (If you're ever in their vicinity, make sure to drop by - you won't regret it!).
We've received a lot of inquiries about the menu. Turns out, many of you would like to create this menu at home. So thanks to Lauren Sležák, proprietor of Delaware Supply, here's the menu she created. We hope its an inspiration for creating an at-home tasting of some of the finest tins and some of our favorite lambiks.
We've extolled the virtues of the lambik and Wildfish pairings before, but in case you missed it, here's a quick rundown. Lambik is unlike any beer out there. Much like smoked salmon, it is made with local ingredients using incredibly labor-intensive, time-honored techniques to produce something that is a true taste of place. It's acidity is also the perfect complement to our rich, smoky cans. As always, feel free to customize or experiment with other beverages! We're here to provide the inspiration, but hey- you do you!
Recipe Ingredients
- Smoked Herring Salad (recipe below)
- Endive, separated and cleaned
- Pickled Shallot (recipe below)
- Dill
-
Lemon
Smoked Herring Salad
- 1 Tin of Wildfish Cannery Smoked Herring
- 1.5 tbsp. mayo of your choice, plus more
- 2 tbsp. celery, finely diced
- 1 tsp. fresh dill
Drain the can of Smoked Herring and save the liquid. Add 1.5 tbsp. of mayo to drained liquid and whisk together. Mash herring with a fork, then combine all ingredients. Add small dollops of mayo until the salad is just bound together.
Pickled Shallot
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced into little rings
- 1/2c. white vinegar
- 1/2c. water
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- 15-20 saffron threads
Bring vinegar, water, sugar, salt and saffron to a boil. Pour hot brine over shallots. Let sit at room temperature for a bit before refrigerating. These are best made a day in advance (for flavor and color), but can be used after a few hours.
Final Assembly
Fill your endive with Smoked Herring Salad. Garnish with pickled shallots and dill. Serve with lemon on the side. PRO-TIP: to ensure your little endive boats stay afloat, shave a thin strip off the bottom using a vegetable peeler. Then add those bits to your next green salad.
Recipe Ingredients
- 1 Tin Wildfish Cannery Smoked Octopus, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- Spanish Tortilla, your favorite recipe or technique, we recommend this recipe from Mark Bittman at the NYT
- Beet Aioli
- Herb Salad
- Lemon
Beet Aioli
- 1 large beet, roasted, cooled and cut into smaller pieces
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp. Mayo
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tsp. Sherry Vinegar
Add chopped beets and garlic to the blender with just enough olive oil to get the blender going. Add mayo a dollop at a time. Keep adding oil and mayo until everything is smooth and glossy but still stiff. Remove from the blender and season with salt and sherry vinegar (just enough for a bump of acid).
Herb Salad
- 1/2 c. chopped Cilantro
- 1/2 c. chopped Dill
- 1/2 c. chopped Parsley
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp. Olive Oil (Cook's best!)
Any blend of tender herbs will do. Just before serving, season with salt and pepper and coat with finishing olive oil.
Final Assembly
On a slice of tortilla, place herb salad in a diagonal fashion trailing onto the plate. Add five or six slices of octopus on top of herb salad (go for a combination of cuts for a variety in texture). Smear or dot beet aioli alongside. Lemon on the side!
- 1 Tin Wildfish Cannery Smoked Coho, drained and flaked
- 1 Loaf Scandinavian brown rye, or something dense and sweet and earthy
- Pottekis
- Pickled Apple
- Cucumber, sliced thinly
- Pink Peppercorns (garnish)
Pottekeis
- 1 tbsp. shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. chives, finely chopped
- 16 oz. cream cheese, room temp
- 2-3 tbsp. Sour cream
- 1 tbsp. mustard, plus more to taste
- 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze
- Salt, to season
- Pepper, to taste
MIx shallot and chives together in a small bowl. Season with salt and cover with just enough geuze. Let macerate while you work on the rest.
Mash cream cheese to soften. Add sour cream a dollop at a time, working into the cream cheese; you’re still looking for a stiff consistency. Incorporate mustard. Add the allium blend to the cheese mixture and stir until well incorporated. Taste! Add pepper and more salt if desired. The geuze should have loosened up the consistency just enough to make it slightly more spreadable. It should add a sweetness and depth of flavor without being too overpowering. If the texture is still stiff, add more geuze or sour cream.
Pickled Apple- 2 apples, thinly sliced into half moons (sweet, tart and crunchy; like a honeycrisp)
- 1c. apple cider vinegar
- 1c. water
- 1/4c. sugar
- 1tsp salt
- 1tsp pink peppercorn
Bring vinegar, water, sugar, salt and peppercorns to a boil, making sure sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Let cool completely (can be made in advance and chilled). Pour cooled/chilled brine over sliced apples. Let sit overnight.
We like a cooler brine here so that the apples aren’t cooked. We want them to retain their crispy crunchy texture and bright flavor.
Final Assembly
Cut rye slices across into triangles. Spread a layer of pottekeis. Add a solid crumble of flaked salmon. Layer pickled apples and cucumber over salmon. Add a tiny dollop of pottekis on top, along with dill and three pink peppercorns (which are delicious, sweet, mild and very pretty). Serve with lemon on the side and with a fork and knife.
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