Tinned fish like sardines, mackerel, cod and more are making a comeback thanks to social media. CBS Saturday Morning heads to Porto, Portugal, to discover how the utilitarian fare became a culinary sensation.

Porto

Tinned fish, traditionally associated with the military and lower-income groups, is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, particularly among younger, nutrition-conscious consumers. This trend has been amplified by social media platforms like TikTok, where users showcase tinned fish as a convenient and novel source of protein. In Portugal, artisanal producers such as the family-owned Pinage sardine cannery have seen a 20% rise in sales over the past five years, attributed in part to the product's authentic production methods and appealing packaging.

Local businesses in Porto, such as the Mercieria das Flores café, are capitalizing on this renewed interest by offering gourmet menus centered around high-quality tinned fish. The movement has transformed tinned fish from a simple, inexpensive food into a culinary experience, attracting both locals and tourists. The trend highlights a shift in perception, with tinned fish now seen as both a convenient and exciting food option.

Tinned fish finds a new audience

The 1942 sardine crop comes in, earmarked for the armed forces. Time was, tinned fish was for the military and the poor. Not anymore. So it seems that tinned fish has taken over the internet. It's one of my favorite things. Today's tinned fish of the day will be... That's right. The sardines in olive oil. Tinned fish, sardines, mackerel, all kinds of sea creatures are having a moment. It seems to have started with nutrition-conscious young people looking for cheap protein and novelty foods to showcase on TikTok. For a deeper dive into this trend, we headed to Porto in Portugal. This fishing fleet has plied the North Atlantic for centuries. Last year, Portuguese boats landed more than 30,000 tons of sardines alone, which are sold in a riot of flavors and gorgeous packaging. We had the sardines and spicy tomato sauce, which was delicious. And then the sardines in olive oil. For Emily Chang from Seattle, it was a vacation highlight to visit the 100-year-old Pinage sardine cannery. Steeped in tradition and still family-owned, it offers tours for the curious and the smitten. I've been obsessed with tinned fish for a very long time now. Why? It's so convenient and delicious. And then every tin is slightly different and you never quite know what you're going to get until you open it. So it's exciting. It's like a little present. The workers at Pinage are all women. It's been that way for generations. The men fished, the women preserved the catch. At Pinage, the processing, sterilizing and wrapping are all done by hand. Artisanal production that TikTok has noticed. That's very, very good. Very delicious. You can have some very nice sardines. Pinage sales are up 20% over the past five years. Susana Cayola is Pinage's museum manager. As we are a family here with authenticity and tradition, probably you can smell it or feel it or taste it. Tell me some of your most innovative new products. Well, it's not a stew. It's a mix of fish, onion and other secrets that you can find inside the can. And is that selling well? Yes. Across town at the Mercieria das Flores, it's lunchtime. This cozy cafe was one of the very first places to take tinned fish to the next level. Thanks to its pioneering owner, Joanna Oswald. It was something really new in town. She's a marine biologist turned entrepreneur. Thirteen years ago, she and a partner opened the Mercieria to showcase local products. Was it a success? It was a success. Oswald stocked the very best Portuguese tinned fish. And she and her husband, Jose, have created a gourmet menu to show it off. I think you should try this. Okay. Yeah, you tell me which order. And what am I drinking with each one? Because you do, there's an appropriate wine. Well, we suggest people can do it. I mean, I've had customers who had coffee and milk with sardines, which I think it's kind of different. I wasn't that brave. But I did sample a few of Oswald's favorite combos. The smoke is very subtle, eh? Oh, that's delicious. I could eat that whole thing. This is really good. And you said this is the tomato sauce in this one is particularly delicious. The tomato sauce in this one is particularly delicious. Tinned fish, once a cheap staple, has become a culinary adventure. I have to laugh when I see the words romantic and tinned fish in the same sentence. And online, a whole new generation has fallen in love. But our first kiss happened right after we shared a tin of mussels.

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