The Absolute Best Canned Fish To Add To Red Sauce Pastas

If you have the right seasonings, a good tomato sauce is all you need for pasta. Still, that never stops us from sprucing up a dish with something a little more savory. While our go-to may be ground beef or meatballs, the right canned fish makes for a delicious addition to red sauce pastas.

Certain canned fish options have a reputation for possessing a mild, delicate flavor, but there are kinds that deliver a vivid punch to red sauce, complementing all the ingredients contained within. Matching the depth of the sauce is exactly what Charlotte Langley, founder of Langley Foods and Nice Cans, had in mind when making her picks. "Anchovies or sardines are fantastic for adding complexity to a red sauce," she told us. Even a simple, quick tomato sauce has a pronounced flavor, requiring a fish that can stand out when added to it.

Anchovies and sardines can hold their own in a red sauce, but they don't make it overtly fishy. Instead, they reinforce the boldness of it. "Both fish dissolve into the sauce, creating a rich, savory depth without overpowering it," noted Langley. Though they both serve the same purpose, the two go about it slightly differently. "Anchovies bring subtle umami, while sardines offer a slightly bolder, meaty flavor."

As Charlotte Langley mentioned, anchovies and sardines each have a different effect, so you can pick and choose based on which type of pasta sauce you're eating. Though the strength of the flavor will ultimately depend on how much canned fish you add, it also depends on which fish you pick. Due to the funky, umami depth of anchovies, they taste more pungent than sardines. With such a potent flavor, it's best to use them in a pasta sauce that can stand up to them like an arrabbiata sauce.

Arrabbiata contains all the usual red sauce ingredients — crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. However, it's given a fiery kick from red pepper flakes. While the spice does give the sauce a little more depth, the overall flavor leans neither tangy nor sweet, so the complex anchovies have no competition. Chop up the anchovies and saute them with onions and garlic before adding in the crushed tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients. With time, the anchovies will melt right into the sauce.

With sardines having a more straight-forward flavor, they're best when added to something like a smoky romesco sauce. The meaty-tasting fish complements the roasted red peppers, smoked paprika, sweet almonds, and sherry vinegar that round out the sauce. Romesco sauce is herbaceous, a little sweet, and a little tangy, so sardines add the right amount of depth without skewing its flavor.