Garfish in Olive Oil

Garfish — aguja in Spanish — is one of the more unusual fish to find in a tin, and one of the most rewarding. Long, slender, and unmistakable with their vivid green bones, garfish are a pelagic species found throughout the Atlantic and Mediterranean, prized in Galicia for their firm, flavourful flesh and their clean, delicate taste. Ar de Arte packs them in olive oil with nothing but salt, letting the fish speak for itself.

The flavour is leaner and more delicate than sardine or mackerel — closer to a fine white fish, with a clean oceanic character and a firm texture that holds up beautifully in the tin. Eat them on toast with good butter and a squeeze of lemon, alongside pickled vegetables, or as part of a conservas spread for something genuinely different. The green bones are edible and a conversation starter. Serve with a cold glass of Albariño or Txakoli.