Bristol Bay is home to both the largest wild sockeye salmon run and one of the most sustainably managed fisheries in the world. Canning is of great importance to the families who have been fishing the waters of this region for generations, as it’s one of the key preservation techniques for the huge catches that occur in just a six week span.
The salmon is cut into “filets” after the skin and bones are removed and only salt is added. During canning the natural oils are expelled, filling the tin and keeping the fish moist. Use it right out of the can in fresh fish salads in the place of higher mercury fish like tuna.
New York, NY
Owners Nialls, Nick and Leah are restaurant people. Together, they own four restaurants in New York City that are neighborhood spots inspired by the coasts of the Mediterranean and have become destinations: Hart’s, Cervo’s, The Fly and Eel Bar. Since they opened the first spot in 2016, they’ve served hundreds of thousands of people, been reviewed by The New York Times and named among the best new restaurants in the country twice by Bon Appetit.
Back in 2013, Nialls had just opened a tinned seafood bar in the East Village of Manhattan. Unsatisfied with the options available to him from distributors at the time, he started working directly with domestic and international canneries, creating relationships and importing the best of the best himself. Building on those connections, and they're experience running restaurants together (turned specialty food markets for two years in the pandemic), they finally launched Minnow in 2021. Now they scour the world for the people preserving the best fish at the height of its freshness and with a deep commitment to sustainability.