Family fishcake and potato cooks
If you are making a shared side dish or using roast-dinner leftovers, match the can size to the amount of salmon your recipe needs.
Who this is for
Quick-prep roast cooks
If the salmon is going into mash or a filling, a skinless-and-boneless format may mean less sorting. Check the exact can for a warning about remaining bones.
Small-meal storecupboard planners
If you need only one or two portions, a smaller can may leave less to refrigerate. Read its post-opening instructions before planning another use.
What to check when buying
Start with the amount your dish needs, then decide how much skin-and-bone sorting you are willing to do and whether you can use any remainder in time.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Enough for a shared dish | Match the net weight and stated portions to your recipe yield. | If I am making fishcakes for several people, I need enough salmon without opening more cans than the recipe calls for. About 40% of consumers put quantity for shared cooking first. |
| Less sorting | Look for a skinless-and-boneless label and read the exact can's bone warning. | When salmon is folded into mash or a smooth filling, picking through it adds preparation time. For about 30% of consumers, reduced sorting is the primary need. |
| Manageable leftovers | Choose a can size you can use and check its refrigeration and use-by-opening directions. | If I am cooking just one or two portions, I want to avoid opening more salmon than I can use. Keeping leftovers manageable comes first for about 30% of consumers. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming every can is boneless
Standard tinned salmon may contain bones. Even a skinless-and-boneless product can warn that small bones remain, which matters when you want a smooth mixture.
Read the warning on the exact can and check the fish as you prepare it. Marks & Spencer gives a small-bones warning for its skinless-and-boneless red salmon.
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Choosing a large can without planning the portions
A can intended for several portions may leave more salmon than a small side dish needs.
Work out your recipe yield before choosing the can, and plan another dish if you expect a remainder.
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Treating unopened storage directions as leftover directions
Once a can is opened, its instructions for unused salmon matter. Tesco Groceries lists a two-day refrigerated-use period for John West red salmon, while Marks & Spencer lists 24 hours for its 105g red salmon.
Follow the directions on the can you bought, including any instruction to transfer and cover the contents before refrigeration.
Brands to consider
John West
A branded option if you want a 213g can for fishcakes or another mixed salmon dish.
- John West describes its 213g Wild Pacific Pink Salmon as suitable for fishcakes and pasta bakes.
- Check bone information on the exact product; the Tesco Groceries listing for John West red salmon warns that it contains bones.
Princes
Offers standard and skinless-and-boneless red salmon as distinct preparation formats.
- Princes lists a 213g medium red salmon and a 170g skinless-and-boneless red salmon; both list salmon and salt as ingredients.
- Choose by the format stated on the can rather than assuming every Princes red salmon product has had skin and bones removed.
Tesco
An own-label range to consider when matching a pink salmon can to a larger recipe.
- Tesco Groceries lists a 418g Wild Pacific Pink Salmon can.
- Check the selected can's format and opening instructions; a larger can is useful only if you can use its contents.
Sainsbury's
An own-label option for a mid-size pink salmon can.
- Sainsbury's Groceries lists a 212g Wild Pacific Pink Salmon product.
- Check the exact can's skin, bone and storage information before choosing it for a smooth filling.
Asda
An own-label large-can option for a dish made for several people.
- ASDA Groceries describes its 418g Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon as providing four servings.
- The larger quantity needs a plan if your roast-dinner side uses less than the full can.
M&S
An own-label red salmon option when you want to compare smaller can sizes and preparation formats.
- Marks & Spencer lists a 105g Wild Alaskan Red Salmon product and a 170g skinless-and-boneless red salmon product.
- Marks & Spencer warns that small bones may remain in its 170g skinless-and-boneless red salmon.
Joybuy tinned salmon options
These Morrisons pink salmon options suit a roast-dinner side or fishcakes when a 213g can fits your recipe. One listing is a four-pack; the other is a single can.
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Morrisons Pink Salmon 213g, four-pack
Consider this pack if you expect to make the dish more than once and can use four 213g cans. For a smooth mixture, check the skin and bone information on the cans before preparing the salmon.
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Morrisons Pink Salmon 213g
Consider the single can if one 213g portion of tinned salmon fits your side dish or fishcake recipe. Check the can's skin and bone information if texture matters, and follow its directions for any contents left after opening.
Questions about tinned salmon
Can I use tinned salmon for a roast-dinner side?
Yes. Fishcakes or a salmon-and-potato mixture are ways to use it alongside a roast. Choose a can size that fits the recipe, and check the label if you expect to keep any salmon after opening.
Should I choose pink or red tinned salmon?
Choose according to the dish and the can format you want, rather than treating colour as a quality ranking. Pink salmon can be mixed into fishcakes; red salmon is another option when you want the fish to remain visible in the finished dish. Check can size and bone information separately.
Can a skinless-and-boneless can still contain bones?
Yes, so read the warning on the exact product. Marks & Spencer says small bones may remain in its 170g skinless-and-boneless red salmon despite care taken to remove them.
What should I do with salmon left in an opened can?
Follow that can's instructions for transferring, covering and refrigerating unused contents. The stated periods differ: Tesco Groceries lists use within two days for John West red salmon, while Marks & Spencer lists 24 hours for its 105g red salmon.
What should I check if someone eating the dish has a fish allergy?
Check the current ingredients and allergen statement on the exact can before using it. GOV.UK's food-labelling guidance says food businesses must identify specified allergens when they are ingredients, and the Princes salmon product information identifies fish in its ingredients.