September 23, 2023 — Last month, Robert McGinnis came across a series of TikTok videos about tinned fish featuring people holding handfuls of colorful cans, opening them and paring them on charcuterie boards.
Mr. McGinnis was so intrigued that the next morning he went out and spent about $60 on about 30 tins to try himself. Then, he turned his quest into a series of tasting videos on TikTok to help others navigate the broad world of tinned fish.
“I’ve had tuna all my life, and some of those flavors looked incredible,” said Mr. McGinnis, 34, of Orlando. Since he began posting videos on Aug. 19, he’s tasted more than 80 kinds of tinned fish, from sardines in mustard to barnacles in brine. “It was a whole new world that was exciting, with new flavors to try.”
Since the pandemic, Americans like Mr. McGinnis have added more canned fish to their diets, even though the tins have been popular elsewhere for centuries.