Three Essential Canned Seafood and Spirit Pairings
Want a little tinned fish with that wine? Perfect pairings for the seafood trend that never spoils.
Photo by P.J. Couture
With Wine
Mussels in spicy escabeche at Haley.Henry
Owner Haley Fortier’s hip downtown wine bar will uncork any bottle if guests commit to two glasses. We need little convincing to try the golden-hued 2016 Domaine Arletaz “Ressaca,” made from grapes from century-old vines. Bright but nutty, it’s stellar with plump steamed Portuguese mussels packed in sunflower oil, vinegar, and piri-piri sauce for a bit of back-end heat.
Photo by P.J. Couture
With Beer
Octopus in paprika sauce at the Raw Bar at Island Creek Oysters
The seaside raw bar at Duxbury’s famed bivalve farm reopens for its second season in May with tins of toothsome sliced Spanish octopus complemented by olive oil, sautéed onions, and zippy paprika. Pair with Pale 143 from Untold Brewing in Scituate, a citrusy ale nodding to the flashing sequence of nearby Minot’s Ledge lighthouse.
Photo by P.J. Couture
With Liquor
Cockles in brine at Saltie Girl
Inspired by beloved Barcelona bars, restaurateur Kathy Sidell’s seafood-anchored Back Bay restaurant sources prized Galician coast cockles, which come boiled and hand-packed in brine. They’re salty, supple, and sublime with the light, savory Heirloom Tomato cocktail: vodka and tomato water blended with basil, garlic, and tomato vinegar.
Read more: The New New England Seafood
