The Tinned Fish 25 · No. 16 of 25

  1. Cockles 30/40, Premium Line from Espinaler No.16Photo: Caputo's

    Mussels, cockles and clams · Spain

    Cockles 30/40, Premium Line

    From Espinaler · Vilassar de Mar, Catalonia

    In brineNot spicy

    A Catalan tavern and cannery known for the vermouth hour: a tin of cockles, potato chips and a splash of Espinaler's own vinegar-and-paprika sauce. 30 to 40 cockles to the tin is the big, plump size.

    Briny, sweet and the reason Spain eats tins before lunch. Pour vermouth.

    Eat it withPotato chipsRed vermouth on iceOlives
    Order from Caputo's ↗

    Espinaler doesn't sell this tin direct here, so the button goes to Caputo's, a shop that carries it.

    Chef's quick recipe

    The vermut plate: cockles with the house sauce

    5 min · 2 to 4 as a snack · Our take on the Catalan sauce: vinegar, paprika and a little heat, splashed over the cockles at the table.

    Save to my recipes

    You need

    • 1 tin Espinaler cockles in brine
    • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
    • 1 tbsp water
    • ½ tsp sweet paprika
    • Pinch of cayenne
    • Pinch of black pepper
    • Pinch of sugar
    • Thick-cut potato chips
    • Green olives

    How to make it

    1. Shake the vinegar, water, both peppers, paprika and sugar in a small jar until the sugar dissolves.
    2. Drain the cockles (or not: the brine is good) and tip them into a small dish.
    3. Splash a spoonful of the sauce over.
    4. Serve with chips, olives and toothpicks, and keep the sauce on the table for more.

    Chef's own recipe, in our words, built around the tin. It isn't Espinaler's.

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← No. 15 Güeyu MarNo. 17 Los Peperetes →

How to buy a good tin. Look for the fish named on the front (sardines, not "fish"), olive oil rather than "vegetable oil", and a cannery's name and town on the back.

Keep it. Most tins last years in a cool cupboard, and sardines in oil get better with a year or two. Anchovies are the exception: keep them in the fridge.

Serve it. Warm oily fish a little (stand the closed tin in hot tap water for 5 minutes). Chill shellfish in escabeche for 10 minutes. Always keep the oil: it's the sauce.

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Espinaler didn't pay to be here. Order goes straight to Caputo's. The recipe is Chef's own, in our words.

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