This Ridiculously Tasty Tinned Fish Upgrades My WFH Lunches — And It’s Finally Back in Stock

Fishwife’s line of sustainable tinned fish and Fly By Jing’s many pantry essentials are Kitchn editor favorites. And now the two brands are teaming up to combine Fishwife’s smoked Atlantic salmon and Fly By Jing’s iconic chili crisp together in one can. It’s more than just a mash-up; it’s a collaboration between two friends! You see, Fishwife co-founder Becca Millstein and Fly By Jing’s founder Jing Gao share an office. Putting the two products together was a natural extension of their IRL relationship. Talk about perfect pairings. The only problem? It quickly sold out! Lucky for you, the Smoked Salmon with Sichuan Chili Crisp is finally back in stock — and we’re confident that you’re going to want to get your hands on a few cans ASAP!

The packaging features both companies’ signature branding. Fishwife’s nostalgia-driven illustrations are highlighted with Fly By Jing’s bold and punchy color combinations. Cracking the can reveals big chunks of small-batch smoked salmon swimming in Fly by Jing’s savory mix of chiles and spices. A quick taste reveals deeply savory flavors, the spice enhancing the fish without being overwhelming in the slightest. 

I tend to turn to canned fish for quick work-from-home lunches, so I already had a few ideas. The box offers a few serving suggestions along these lines, too. Use the chili crisp-laced salmon to top a veggie rice bowl, pack it into onigiri, layer into a spicy salmon melt, or just eat it on its own. The ease and accessibility of canned fish makes it a no-brainer when needing a quick meal, but I thought this special product deserved a little more care and attention, even if it was “just” lunch. 

My midday work meals tend to revolve around a couple of loose rules: quick to prepare, nourishing, and a little indulgent. Weekday indulgent doesn’t mean fancy or over-the-top. It just means I give in to whatever I want to eat without concern for my food-particular husband or two kids. It’s all about me. It seemed fitting for my lunch for one to feature something made by a deeply personal AAPI-owned brand and a “brash, foul-mouthed, and brassy” Fishwife. 

So I soaked some rice noodles in hot water while I answered a few emails. Once they were soft but still chewy, I stirred up a dressing of black vinegar, sesame paste, and soy sauce, and tossed it with the noodles. I topped it with cucumbers, scallions, and cilantro and crowned the whole thing with the smoked salmon, making sure to get every bit of that Fly By Jing chili crisp out of the can and into my bowl. It was exactly what I want my lunches to be — deliciously fast and all for me. Lucky for me, I’ve got two more cans to do it again.

Do you have a tinned fish that you lean on for lunch? Tell us in the comments below.