Seafood from the Galician Rías finds one of its best canned expressions in Conservas Ramón Peña. Here we gather farmed mussels, Atlantic octopus, razor clams, clams, baby squid, queen scallops, and sea urchin roe, all handmade in their factory in Ribadumia, in the heart of Salnés.

Why canned seafood is not a substitute

There's a notion that canned food is a last resort when fresh isn't available. With Galician seafood, the opposite is true: canning occurs at the optimal point of the product, cooked with a control that is difficult to replicate at home, and arrives at the table ready to serve. A farmed mussel canned on the day it was harvested has more to offer than a fresh one that has traveled for three days.

The invisible work of cleaning

The difference between good and mediocre canned seafood often lies in a step no one sees. Razor clams live buried in sand and must be purified until the last trace is removed. Mussels are cleaned of their beards one by one. Baby squid are cleaned and their mantles are turned inside out so the sauce can penetrate. Sea urchin roe is extracted whole from a shell where it breaks at just a glance. This manual work is the reason for the price and, above all, the result.

Natural, pickled, or stewed

Each preparation serves a different purpose. The natural —razor clams and clams— leaves the mollusk exposed with nothing to disguise it: it's the most demanding test for the raw material. The pickle for mussels, with mild sweet paprika, accompanies without overpowering. The stew for queen scallops provides a rich sofrito that turns the can into a dish. And the olive oil for baby squid and octopus preserves without altering the flavor.

How to read the sizes

The numbers accompanying each reference —6/8, 12/16, 20/25— indicate how many pieces are in the can. Fewer pieces mean larger, meatier, and more substantial specimens, ideal for serving on a plate. More pieces mean smaller units, with a more tender texture, that are eaten in one bite and work better for snacking or incorporating into rice.

Designation of Origin

Some references carry the PDO seal, which officially certifies the origin of the mollusk, its cultivation in rafts, and compliance with verified quality parameters. In a product where origin determines the result, this certification is the difference between trusting and assuming.

Before serving

Always room temperature, never directly from the fridge. Stews and pickled items greatly benefit from two minutes in a pan. And the juice or sauce accompanying the seafood is as valuable as the piece itself: never throw it away.

If you're looking for oily fish, also check out Ramón Peña's canned fish section, with sardines in eight sizes, albacore tuna, mackerel, and garfish.