30 Easy Meals to Make With Canned Tuna, Sardines and Mackerel

Canned fish can do more than fill a sandwich. Tuna, sardines and mackerel bring protein to quick meals, work hot or cold, and pair well with familiar cupboard ingredients. They can also help use up leftovers, whether that means stale bread, cooked rice or yesterday’s mashed potato. Salmon is another useful option, though it can cost more than the writer’s budget allows.

These ideas are flexible: choose fish packed in sauce, oil or brine to suit the dish, and adjust seasoning to taste. The recipes below offer 30 ways to put a tin to work, from fast snacks to filling dinners.

Tuna: familiar flavours and flexible fillings

Tuna and cucumber sandwiches remain a picnic favourite, but a tin can stretch into plenty of warm meals too. These dishes combine tuna with pasta, vegetables, eggs, potatoes and beans.

1. Tuna chow mein

Fry shredded cabbage, grated carrot and onion until tender. Add cooked noodles, drained tuna and a splash of soy sauce, then toss together until hot.

2. Savoury tuna bread pudding

Layer stale bread in a greased ovenproof dish with tuna, chopped onion and grated cheese. Pour over whisked eggs mixed with a little milk. Leave it to soak for 10 minutes, then bake until golden and firmly set.

3. Tuna pasta bake

Combine cooked pasta with drained tuna, sweetcorn and a simple cheese or tomato sauce. Spoon into an ovenproof dish, scatter grated cheese on top and bake until bubbling and golden.

4. Tuna and sweetcorn pancakes

Make savoury pancakes and fill them with tuna, sweetcorn and thick cheese sauce. Fold or roll them before serving.

5. Tuna and cheese toasties

Put tuna and grated cheese between two slices of bread, or inside a baguette, then toast until the bread is crisp and the cheese has melted. An air fryer works well for this, too.

6. Tuna and white bean burgers

Mash drained butter beans or cannellini beans with tuna, a little mustard, herbs or spices, and breadcrumbs. Shape the mixture into burgers and fry until golden and heated through. Serve in buns with salad, or alongside chips and vegetables.

7. Tuna-stuffed peppers

Mix tuna with cooked rice, cooked chopped tomatoes, onion and herbs. Spoon the filling into halved peppers, add grated cheese and bake until the peppers are tender and the filling is hot.

8. Tuna fish cakes

Combine drained tuna with leftover mashed potato, finely chopped onion and seasoning. Grated lemon rind is an optional addition. Shape into patties and fry until golden.

9. Tuna and sweetcorn fritters

Stir tuna and sweetcorn into an egg with a few tablespoons of flour to make a thick batter. Spoon portions into a frying pan and cook on both sides until golden and cooked through.

10. Tuna and cheese baked potato

Flake or mash tuna over a baked potato and top with grated cheese. Mayonnaise can be mixed into the fish if you like a creamier filling.

11. Tuna and sweetcorn quiche

Use tuna and sweetcorn as a quiche filling, with pastry or a wrap base. Add eggs, a splash of milk and seasoning before baking.

12. Tuna fried rice

Fry onion and vegetables, including frozen vegetables if that’s what you have. Once softened, stir in cooked rice and tuna, then finish with a splash of soy sauce. A whisked egg can be stirred through if desired.

13. Tuna pizza

Spread a pizza base with ketchup, tomato purée and herbs mixed together. Add tuna and sweetcorn, cover with grated cheese and bake.

Sardines: pair a bold taste with spice or sauce

Sardines have a stronger flavour than tuna. Tomato or chilli sauce, lemon, spices and other punchy ingredients can help balance it, depending on your taste.

14. Sardines on toast

Mash sardines in tomato or chilli sauce onto hot buttered toast. Warm them briefly under a grill or in an air fryer if you prefer. For sardines without sauce, add lemon juice and black pepper.

15. Sardine sloppy joes

Mash sardines in tomato sauce with softened onion, paprika and a little ketchup. Heat until thick, then spoon into toasted bread rolls.

16. Sardine and potato hash

Dice cooked potatoes and fry them with onion until golden. Add sardines near the end and warm them gently. A fried egg on top makes a hearty finish.

17. Sardine tomato pasta

Cook pasta while gently frying chopped onion and garlic. Add chopped tomatoes and sardines, breaking the fish into pieces, then stir everything together for a quick dinner.

18. Sardine pizza

Mix sardines in tomato sauce with softened onion, a little tomato purée and herbs. Spread over a pizza base, cover with grated cheese and bake. An air fryer can be used, too.

19. Sardine and chickpea curry

Fry onion with curry powder. Add sardines in tomato sauce and half a tin of chickpeas, then simmer gently for five minutes with a splash of water. Stir in a spoonful of yoghurt for a creamy finish.

20. Sardine and kidney bean chilli

Fry onion and garlic with chilli powder, cumin and paprika. Add kidney beans, sardines, a squeeze of tomato purée and some water. Simmer until thick, then serve over rice or a baked potato.

21. Sardine shakshuka

Fry onion and pepper, then add sardines in tomato sauce, a little water, paprika, tomato purée and chilli. Make two wells in the sauce, crack an egg into each, cover and cook until the eggs are set as you like. Serve with toast for the sauce.

22. Sardine quesadillas

Mash sardines in tomato sauce with drained kidney beans and a pinch of chilli powder. Spread onto a tortilla, add grated cheese, fold and toast in a frying pan or air fryer until crisp on both sides.

Mackerel: from quick couscous to comfort food

Mackerel works in warm potato dishes, rice and pasta, but it can also make a no-cook couscous lunch. The fish’s packing liquid and seasoning help shape the final flavour.

23. Mackerel bubble and squeak

Mash leftover cooked cabbage and potato, mix in drained mackerel and fry the mixture as one large cake until crisp. Flip it so both sides brown.

24. Mackerel kedgeree

Fry onion with curry powder, then stir in cooked rice, frozen peas and drained mackerel. Heat through and finish with chopped boiled egg.

25. Moroccan-style mackerel couscous

Prepare couscous with boiling stock. Stir through mackerel, chickpeas, grated carrot, cumin, raisins and lemon juice. There’s no further cooking required. Moroccan paste can be added to the stock for more flavour. The combination is distinctive, so it may not suit every palate; mackerel packed in oil is suggested here.

26. Mackerel cottage pie

Use mackerel in tomato sauce as the base. Mix in cooked peas, carrots and onions, transfer to an ovenproof dish and cover with mashed potato. Bake in an oven or air fryer until golden.

27. Mackerel potato rosti

Grate a potato and squeeze out the liquid. Mix with drained mackerel, grated onion, salt, pepper and a spoonful of flour. Press into small patties and shallow-fry until the potato is cooked and both sides are golden.

28. Coronation-style mackerel sandwich filling

Mix drained mackerel with mayonnaise, a little curry powder, mango chutney and raisins. Spoon into a sandwich or wrap.

29. Mackerel pâté

Mash mackerel packed in oil or brine with a tablespoon of cream cheese or natural yoghurt. Add two teaspoons of lemon juice, a pinch of mustard powder, black pepper and salt to taste. Chill before serving.

30. Mackerel and lentil bolognese

Cook diced onion, celery and carrot in olive oil for about seven minutes, until softened. Add two teaspoons of minced garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in two tablespoons of tomato purée and cook for two minutes, then add a teaspoon of mixed herbs, a tin of chopped tomatoes and a drained tin of green or brown lentils. Simmer for 15 minutes, adding a splash of water if the sauce gets too thick. Flake mackerel in tomato sauce into the pan, stir and cook for two or three more minutes. Serve over pasta.

With a few basic ingredients and some cooked leftovers, a tin of fish can become anything from toast to a full meal. The best place to start is with the fish you already have and flavours your household enjoys.

Share your favourite meals made with tinned fish.

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