This Sichuan Smoked Salmon Is Our New Favorite Snack

Yo, it’s no secret at this point that tinned fish—once relegated, reputation-wise, to the go-to food of cartoon cats—is actually really fucking good. In fact, it’s having a huge moment right now, and has been declared a certified Hot Girl Food™ [slams gavel]. Last year, in Bettina Makalintal’s exploration of tinned seafood’s resurgence as a cool snack, Fishwife founder Becca Millstein told VICE that canned fish speaks to a certain lifestyle that is “minimalist, simple, casual, and lends itself to ‘sensual’ eating experiences, like sitting outside with wine and a baguette.” Can’t you just see yourself on a patio surrounded by lemon trees, cracking open some imported sardines and enjoying them on fancy toast points, alongside a glass of Sancerre and some lovely stinky cheese? Perhaps with some fresh figs and Marcona almonds? This is living, baby!

Of course, it’s for everyone, not just conventionally hot women; it’s also a Hot Guy, Hot Dude, and Hot Person Food™, and in case you haven’t heard, everyone is hot as long as they eat fish out of a can. It’s welcoming to all demographics, aside from vegans and boring haters, since it’s affordable, delicious, and really very easy to chew. It’s chic, unfussy, and packed with protein. What’s not to like?

Now, a new crop of extra-tasty canned fish varieties has popped up, and today marks the birth of the best one yet: the collab between Fly By Jing, one of our favorite purveyors of Chinese condiments, dumplings, and hot pot accoutrements, and the aforementioned female-founded, sustainable tinned fish company Fishwife. Today, the two brands dropped a ridiculously tasty smoked salmon with Sichuan chile crisp, and wowee, it’s bomb.

This genius treat starts with family-farmed, sustainably sourced Arctic smoked salmon, which is then brined in extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, garlic salt, brown sugar, and of course, Fly by Jing’s cult-fave, ultra-beloved Sichuan Chili Crisp. The result is melt-in-your-mouth seafood with a tingly, insanely umami flavor that is very addictive, speaking from experience. We’re ready to toss it in all our rice bowls, pile it high on seedy crackers, and make it the star of the show in our next eggy breakfast. I was fortunate enough to be able to get a sneak preview of this delectable provision, and I’m hooked.

Look, we love smoked salmon of all kinds; we’ve pretty much never met a lox we didn’t like. But this stuff is next-level. Best of all, it’s making us even hotter.

Fly by Jing x Fishwife’s super tasty smoked salmon can be purchased at Fly by Jing.

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story.