u/lifeaccordingtotessa

One of the best ways to use a tin IMO is to just chuck it in some pasta. Quick, easy, and if done right, cheap! These are just some tins of squid I found in Portugal (about €1.50 each), I'd compare them to TJ's calamari in olive oil. I preferred the Pitéu, but mixed into a dish, you can barely tell the difference between the two.

Here's the base recipe if you're interested:

• Package of long pasta (spaghetti/linguine/etc)
• 4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste (I just eyeball this TBH)
• Red pepper flakes
• 2 cans of tinned fish in olive oil

1. Cook your pasta in heavily salted water.
2. While that's happening, add just the oil from your tins to a large pan on medium.
3. Add your chopped garlic+red pepper flakes and cook til fragrant. Don't let it burn!
4. Add the tomato paste and cook until it darkens a smidge and starts to split.
5. Add the tinned fish for just a minute or two to heat. (If you're using sardines/etc, the more you move them around the more they'll break up. It's up to you how "mushy" you want them in the sauce)
6. Add in your pasta and move it around so everything gets nice and coated. Save some of your pasta water to loosen things if you need to.
7. Enjoy!

If you want to make an even lazier version, use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic and make your sauce in the same pot you boiled the pasta in (after setting it aside ofc). If you want to fancy it up, you can add fresh parsley, capers, cherry tomatoes, a squeeze of lemon juice, a tab of butter. Whatever floats your boat!