Seacuterie

2/1/25 My seacuterie dinner

During the decades when Greg and I both worked full time, one of our favorite ways to unwind on Friday nights was to put together a charcuterie dinner washed down with beer or 2-buck Chuck while we watched rented movies on VHS and DVDs (the pre-streaming days). “Charcuterie” is probably an overstatement; we just put out whatever lazy, easy stuff we had in the fridge or pantry – canned fish and oysters, cheese, crackers, dip, pickles, olives – and called it good. And it was good. So good, in fact, that we kept it going after we retired and no longer had an excuse for such laziness (except that retirement is made for laziness). And now that I live alone, I’m lazier than ever (at least about meal prep)!

I can’t even recall now what I was searching for, but one day a few months ago, I ended up on YouTube plunging headlong into a rabbit hole of – wait for it – people reviewing “tinned” fish (“tinned” is more trendy than “canned”). They eat the contents straight out of the can in front of a video camera. Apparently tinned fish initially caught fire on TikTok (doesn’t everything of any value begin on TikTok?), and now everyone wants to eat it, talk about it, and talk about it while eating it.

That’s how I learned that this thing we’d been doing for decades is called a “seacuterie” or “conservas board.” People put out tins on a tray and serve them to guests, and it’s considered cool and fancy! Who knew we were cool and fancy! 

And the tins have become fancy, too. I’m used to $2 cans of sardines from Costco, but that rabbit hole taught me that you can now buy cans upwards of $20! I won’t go that far, but my curiosity led me to cans of sardines, salmon and mackerel in the $5-to-$10 range, and I admit, they are way better than the ones from Costco. Damnit – now I’m doomed to buy $5 and $10 sardines for the rest of my life. (This is starting to sound like art supplies: After using Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelles, how can I go back to Supracolors?)

Tinned fish purchased and eaten in Porto

It never would have occurred to me to sketch my simple “seacuterie” meal, but now that I know I’m trendy (and have been for a long time), I felt I must. (In fact, sardines are considered to be “hot girl food” – so now I’m not only trendy; I’m hot!)

One more thing related to tinned fish: One of many delights we discovered in Portugal was the unbelievably fantastic selection of tinned seafood available there. Portugal, the sardine and anchovy capital of the world, offers canned fish in conserveira shops, where shelves are stacked with extraordinarily beautiful, colorful tins. We couldn’t resist buying a bunch in Porto. We ate them all for breakfast during the rest of the trip because we didn’t want to haul the heavy cans home in our luggage. Best tinned fish ever! What a treat! (The beginning of this video shows a Lisbon restaurant that serves canned fish! That’s an even lazier dining experience than my seacuterie . . . at least I open the cans myself!) 

Almost as pretty as an art supply store!