Conservas Olasagasti canned fish
Olasagasti anchovies are caught in an MSC-certified area of the Cantabrian Sea. They arrive fresh at the Basque-based cannery, and this marks the start of the careful, nearly year-long curing process. The Olasagasti anchovy is bigger than the other fillets we stock; it is saltier than the Zallo and Angelachu anchovy, and milder than Yurrita anchovies. Try Olasagasti tinned anchovies skewered with gherkins and olives, as a pizza topping, or in a tomato and onion salad with the oil drizzled over. Different from the salt-cured Olasagasti anchovies, are the hand-prepared San Sebastian-style anchovies a la Donostiarra, with garlic, cayenne pepper and wine vinegar. This tin contains a “ración” or large tapa of 12 premium fish, omega-3 rich, and mildly spiced. Donostia is the Basque name for San Sebastian, Donostiarra the name the city’s residents go by. Olasagasti Bonito del Norte tuna (albacore or white tuna) is pole and line caught to quota in the Cantabrian Sea. Catching the fish one by one is an ecologically sound way to fish as it avoids by-catch and damage to the sea bed. The white tuna is MSC-certified, and fished in the Bay of Biscay in the summer months when it is leaner and less fatty and in peak condition. The albacore tuna is canned using family recipes passed down through the generations. Olasagasti works with its tuna fresh, thus making it more flavoursome. Olasagasti ventresca or tuna belly is the prime cut of the fish; it's flavoursome with a soft texture. Try it simply on bread with slices of ripe tomato, olive oil and sea salt. Olasagasti yellowfin tuna has a delicate flavour and a velvety texture. Caught in the high seas and prepared carefully by the Olasagasti cannery, the fillets are great on top of a potato salad with a lemon and red onion mayo, in a Nicoise, or on toast with slices of tomato, extra virgin olive oil, capers and parsley.
Where does Olasagasti tinned fish come from?
Conservas Olasagasti is based in Markina, in the Basque Country. The Olasagasti fish are anchovies and tuna caught in the Cantabrian Sea. The albacore or white tuna is caught a costera or close to the coast in the summer months when it is lean and at its best. The anchovies are fished between April and June when they are at their peak.
What makes Olasagasti tinned fish different?
Olasagasti anchovies are caught in the Cantabrian Sea, meaning they are caught in peak condition. The best anchovies are sourced by Olasagasti from the nearby markets, the curing process begins the day the fish are caught. The techniques used are more than a century old and pioneered in part by the founder of Olasagasti, Salvatore Orlando, who emigrated from Sicily at the end of the 19th Century, bringing the salting know-how he’d acquired in Italy with him. Olasagasti works with its tuna fresh, never freezing it, so its authentic flavour can be appreciated. Like the anchovies, the albacore or white tuna is caught in the Cantabrian Sea, a point on the tunas’ migratory path when it is lean and in great condition.
What is Olasagasti Bonito del Norte?
Olasagasti Bonito del Norte is albacore or white tuna caught close to the coast of the Cantabrian Sea.
How can I use Olasagasti tinned fish in cooking?
This recipe, by Marta Mendia of Olasagasti, for Gazpacho with Bonito del Norte tuna serves 4. You will need 1 kilo of ripe tomatoes, ½ red pepper, ½ cucumber, 1 spring onion, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a splash of white wine vinegar and salt to taste, a handful of arame seaweed and 1 tin of Bonito del Norte. First, peel the tomatoes (if you have time) by plunging them into boiling water for 15 seconds and then into cold before using your fingers to remove the skin; roughly chop them along with the pepper, cucumber and spring onion. Put everything in a food mixer, together with the olive oil, vinegar and salt and blend on full speed. Strain through a sieve into a jug and refrigerate for a few hours until ice cold. Hydrate the seaweed for 10 minutes. Alternatively you can sauté it with soybeans and serve as a side with the gazpacho. Serve the gazpacho in bowls and garnish with flakes of Bonito del Norte and seaweed. The consistency of the gazpacho will vary according to the tomatoes’ liquid content. Add oil, water, ice or breadcrumbs to alter the consistency to taste.
Or try Marta’s recipe for anchovy and pink tomato salad. This serves two. You’ll need 1 pink tomato, 50g fresh goat’s cheese, a handful of mushrooms, an avocado, a tin of Cantabrian anchovy fillets in extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar. Slice the tomato, cheese, mushrooms and avocado and arrange them in lop-sided layers with the anchovies. Add some fresh basil leaves, season with salt and pepper, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.
