Crazy over canned fish

Tinned fish has gained popularity on TikTok, and more stores are selling it in Portugal to cater to growing tourist demand

- Teo Kai Xiang

Is your trip to Portugal complete without tasting a can of fish? Increasingly, businesses in the country are betting that it is not.

Over the past decade, The Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine, a local fish cannery that operates stores selling its tinned goods, has grown from a single store in Portugal to 22 branches. The company opened its first international location in New York City’s Times Square in 2023.

In Lisbon and Porto, the country’s major tourism hubs, a growing number of small independent stores have also emerged to meet the increasing tourist demand for canned fish.

Fuelling this niche boom is the rise of tinnedfishtok. According to the last available data, as at 2023, TikTok videos tagged with #sardines, #tinnedfish and #tinnedfishtok had accumulated more than 290 million, 94 million and 41 million views respectively.

On the platform, ChineseAmerican content creators like Ms Mei Liao have popularised a subgenre of content that involves opening up a colourfully decorated tin of fish, before incorporating it as part of a dish like salad or pasta.

These videos appeal with beautifully designed cans, affordable luxury — with tins of more uncommon seafood such as tuna belly, mussels and octopus starting at around $15.

After all, tinned food is often seen by many as the budget alternative to fresh produce, so the idea that it could also be delicious taps TikTok’s engagement-maximising algorithm.

As someone whose TikTok feed has long decided that I need to see more tinned fish, my 15-day trip to Portugal in July is not complete without a taste of the local canned food and a conversation with locals about tourists’ newfound fishy appetites.

WALL-TO-WALL FISH IN PORTO

Stepping into one of the Porto branches of The Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine, I encounter a cacophony of sounds and colours that would not be out of place in a circus.