The Tinned Fish That Takes Fried Rice To A Whole New Level Of Umami

The perfect fried rice may not require much more than a small amount of bacon for flavoring, but if you want to upgrade it from a side dish to a main course, you'll probably want more protein. The fried rice used in the ketchup-topped Japanese omurice often contains chicken, while the dish is also an excellent way to transform leftover steak strips. If you're out of fresh meat, though, canned fish makes a great shelf-stable alternative. (Don't turn up your nose! Trust us, canned fish can make you a better cook.) As restaurateur Maricel Gentile, author of Maricel's Simply Asian Cookbook, tells The Takeout, when it comes to adding protein to fried rice, "Anchovies are my number one choice." 

"[Anchovies] are small but powerful, and when you sauté them with garlic in a little oil, they melt right down into the pan. That flavored oil coats the rice, turning simple garlic rice into something deeply savory and rich with umami," explains Gentile. She suggests first sautéing onions and garlic, then stirring in the sardines to break them apart. Be sure to use the oil from the can so it can coat the rice. "A squeeze of calamansi or lemon at the end cuts through the richness and brightens the flavors," she says. "That balance of savory, bold, and citrusy is very Filipino in spirit."

As Gentile notes, "Anchovies are used across many Asian cuisines for this exact reason as they give dishes a backbone of flavor without needing to add much else." In the Philippines, they're fermented into a salty paste called bagoong, while in Japan and Korea, they're used to flavor noodles, soups, and stews. Anchovies are also used in fish sauce, a staple of Southeast Asian cuisines, while in Indonesia, nasi goreng teri is a fried rice dish flavored with dried anchovies. "All of these traditions show how important anchovies are in building layers of flavor," says Gentile.

Anchovies are still pretty unpopular in the United States, but surprisingly, canned sardines have become TikTok-trendy in recent years. If you prefer the idea of using the latter in fried rice, Maricel Gentile approves of these, too. When used in fried rice, Gentile says, "Canned sardines bring a bolder, more rustic flavor. They are briny, meaty, and depending on the sauce they are packed in, can add a hint of sweetness, smokiness, or spice."

Sardines enjoy the same degree of popularity as anchovies in many cultures. As Gentile points out, "Sardines are loved in Southeast Asia and Southern Europe for the same reason [as anchovies]: They are affordable, accessible, and full of flavor. In the Philippines, they are eaten with rice and pan de sal (Filipino bread). In Indonesia and Malaysia, sardines are spiced and cooked in sambal." Gentile adds that cooking with sardines isn't relegated to Southeast Asia. "Even in Portugal and Spain, sardines are celebrated for their robust flavor," she points out.