Marine motifs and nautical flair are making a splash in the zeitgeist every which way you look these days—from interior design to fine dining restaurants and high fashion. That’s right, tin is in. And I’m no stranger to the seafaring lifestyle. From seaweed foraging along the Sonoma Coast with Strong Arm Farm to uni diving in Malibu, the allure has me totally hooked. Here are some of the personalities and tastemakers in the West I’ve been keen on following for inspiration.
Taku Kondo
Osaka-born, Bay Area-based sushi chef and seafood forager Taku Kondo takes the idea of hook and cook and makes it come to life in his engaging YouTube channel and respective social feeds. His new cookbook and foraging guide called Coastal Harvest is essential reading for anyone wanting to get into gathering sustainably and learning to fish, especially along the waterways and coastal forests of the West.
Sea Forager
Kirk Lombard is a true Renaissance man of the sea. His seafood delivery boxes highlight the freshest seasonal seafood that San Francisco has to offer. The quirky character also leads regular foraging and fishing tours in the area, and even has a band that sings sea shanties at local events. Perhaps most notably, though, Lombard wrote The Sea Forager’s Guide to the Northern California Coast, the de facto source for how to hook fish, dig clams, and pick seaweed, as well as what to do with each catch.
Fishwife
Tinned fish has quite literally become a cool girls club, with Fishwife being exhibit A. The woman-owned company based in Pacific Grove, California, is known for their colorfully designed packaging immediately draws the eye in, but it’s the premium quality of what’s inside that keeps customers coming back. Their Reels reveal all sorts of fun recipes you can make with tinned fish, many of which you can find in their new cookbook.
The Sardinfluencer
Based in Los Angeles, Harrison Weinfeld is a chef and writer whose cooking with conservas content on TikTok and Reels takes viewers from tide to tin. You’ll find DIY recipes like “tinviche,” a ceviche made with tinned octopus that’ll have your friends and family completely confounded that it was made from a can.
Lata
Inspired by the Spanish culture of enjoying vermut and tinned fish, this subscription-based company offers monthly discovery boxes to explore the wide world of tinned fish, including many brands based here in the West. Their Inside the Tin series showcases the stories of the brands they feature, highlighting the care and craftsmanship that goes into each box.
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