Tin Fish Gourmet: A Cookbook for our Times

There’s something to be said for holding onto your old cookbooks—well the better ones, anyway. In Tin Fish Gourmet (Raincoast Books, 1998) my long time friend Barbara-jo McIntosh wrote one of the most practical cookbooks ever. Way back then it was pretty innovative. And in these trying times it’s turning out to be even more useful.

Tin Fish Gourmet is just that: a collection of easy and inexpensive meals made with all manner of canned seafood. The kind which you could—or should—have tucked away in a cupboard for times like this. It’s packed with good ideas (over 75 recipes) and tips to make a wealth of starters, mains, soups and salads. Plus even a few nifty canapés for your next socially distanced block or lobby party. Everything, indeed, from clams, oysters, shrimp, crabmeat, anchovies and—yes—sardines, comes from a tin. Even if you forgot to stock up (or were too fixated on TP), chances are you can even still buy it from London Drugs.

The other night I whipped up some Crab Risotto. And while it may not have been quite as tasty as freshly cooked Dungeness it was pretty decent. All this came a fraction of the price, with almost no effort. And it was right off my kitchen shelves, these days a lot safer than your typical supermarket.

On the menu in the next few days? I’m thinking maybe Shrimp and Sweet Potato Cakes, Salmon and Broccoli Chowder, Clams and Mushroom Linguine. Well … there’s a bunch! Browsing Tin Fish Gourmet, I’d forgotten how much this smart little book packs in.

Barbara-Jo McIntosh, at Books to Cooks, Vancouver, Tim Pawsey photo

It’s been a few years since Barbara-jo closed Books to Cooks. She’s since decamped to France to open her Maison des Mots in La Charité-sur-Loire. (For more info reach her at 6ruedunord@gmail.com). And even though I know she frequents the local market, I’m pretty sure there’s still the odd tin of something tucked away for times like these.

Tin Fish Gourmet sold out but was reprinted; and— if you care to go looking—can still be found on-line.

Merci, Barbara-jo!

About the Author: Tim Pawsey

Tim has been covering the food and wine revolution for about 20 kilos. Count 15 kg alone thanks to the blossoming cuisine and wine culture of British Columbia, Canada. His awards include: BC Restaurant Assn. Hall of Fame, Okanagan Wine Festivals Harry McWatters Founder's Award, BC Wine Growers Industry Recognition Award, Vancouver International Wine Festival Spirited Industry Professional award. Tim’s hallmark is seeking out and recommending value wines from BC and around the world that offer quality at every level. He also scopes out noteworthy restaurants that live up to their promises—and often over deliver. For several decades Tim wrote columns in the Vancouver Courier and North Shore News. He currently contributes to several magazines, including BCLS Taste, Vitis and others. Tim is a frequent judge for wine competitions and was a founding judge of The BC Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Wine. He is frequently invited to judge at The BC Wine Awards, and others. Tim has traveled to taste in many of the world’s leading wine regions, across Europe, in North America, Argentina and Chile, Australia and New Zealand, and South Africa.