Alton Brown's Favorite Tinned Fish Brand Is One Of The Trendiest

It's no secret that we as a society turn to Alton Brown for all things culinary. The perfect cup of coffee? Check. The best butter for baking? Double check. How to make the fudgiest brownies? Triple check. I could literally do this all day. So getting a sneak peek into his daily life was thrilling for us fans. In a recent TikTok video Brown takes us through his must-haves. A cast iron baking pan, tongs, kosher salt, an electric kettle — all that tracks if you're a long time "Good Eats" fan. The surprising twist of the video was his tinned fish collection. Which was extensive to say the least. His favorite brand, particularly its anchovies? The ultra trendy Fishwife. 

Fishewife tinned fish come in some of the best packaging you can buy. The boxes are colorful and fun. They promise interesting flavors and quality fish. From mussels with basil pesto, mackerel with chili flakes and sardines with lemon preserves – it's not hard to see why a food fanatic like Brown would pick this company over others. It even did a collaboration with the equally Instagram/TikTok friendly brand Fly by Jing, popular for making chili crisp oil. Fishwife is really attempting to revamp the tinned fish market and make it more attractive for a younger crowd. Tinned fish doesn't have to be relegated to the back of the cupboard, or avoided because maybe you've never tried mackerel before.

Far be it from me to say much about the cost of tinned fish. I'm no supply chain analyst. But the one thing that might put a dampener on this, or I guess... break the ring off the tinned fish can, is the price. Fishwife anchovies come in a pack of three, priced at $27. That's $9 per tin. You can get store brand anchovies at various grocery stores for under $3. I'm also no math genius but that's one hell of a difference.

Anchovies, really any tinned fish, are also supposed to be a rugged, proletarian and immigrant meal. They are an extremely economical way to dramatically increase your protein, B vitamins and healthy fats. So it's hard to fathom how one company can charge several hundred times more than others. There are some interesting Reddit discussions on this. One user notes that, even working in the industry they're baffled by Fishwife's prices because the tins come from the same production facilities as others. Are we really paying for just those brightly colored little boxes?

If you can afford or splurge on Fishwife, more power to you. For other tinned fish brands that bring quality and price, look for Nuri, Matiz, King Oscar, or Cole's Patagonia. They'll be about $2.50 to 6 dollars per tin, depending on the fish and what it's packed in. These brands offer the same great flavor as Fishwife.