Shellfish from the Galician Rías finds one of its best canned expressions in Conservas Ramón Peña. Here we bring together raft-grown mussels, Atlantic octopus, razor clams, clams, baby squid, queen scallops and sea urchin roe, all made by hand in their factory in Ribadumia, in the heart of the Salnés.

Why canned shellfish is not a substitute

There is an idea that a tin is what you use when there is nothing fresh. With Galician shellfish the opposite is true: it is canned at the optimum point, cooked with a control that is hard to replicate at home, and arrives at the table ready to serve. A raft-grown mussel canned on the day it is harvested has more to offer than a fresh one that has been travelling for three days.

The invisible work of cleaning

The difference between good and mediocre canned shellfish usually lies in a step nobody sees. Razor clams live buried in sand and must be purged until the last trace is gone. Mussels are de-bearded one by one. Baby squid are cleaned and turned inside out so the sauce gets inside. Sea urchin roe is extracted whole from a shell where it breaks at the slightest touch. That manual work is the reason for the price and, above all, for the result.

In brine, in escabeche or stewed

Each preparation has a different purpose. In brine — razor clams and clams — leaves the shellfish exposed with nothing to hide it: the most demanding test for the raw material. The escabeche of the mussels, with mild sweet paprika, accompanies without masking. The stew of the queen scallops adds a rich sofrito that turns the tin into a dish. And the olive oil of the baby squid and octopus preserves them without interfering with the flavour.

How to read the sizes

The numbers next to each product — 6/8, 12/16, 20/25 — indicate how many pieces are in the tin. Fewer pieces means larger, meatier specimens, ideal for serving on a plate. More pieces means smaller, more tender units that are eaten in one bite and work better for snacking or adding to rice.

Designation of Origin

Some products carry the PDO seal, which officially certifies the origin of the mussel, its raft cultivation and compliance with verified quality parameters. In a product where origin determines the result, that certification is the difference between trusting and assuming.

Before serving

Always at room temperature, never straight from the fridge. Stews and escabeches gain a lot from two minutes in a pan. And the juice or sauce that comes with the shellfish is as good as the piece itself: never throw it away.

If you are looking for oily fish, also see the Ramón Peña canned fish section, with small sardines in eight sizes, bonito del norte, mackerel and garfish.