Enhance The Umami Flavor In Your Stir Fry With One Seafood Addition

At the end of a long day of work, a quick and easy dinner is a must. A great option to lean on is a stir fry, which typically mixes together veggies, meat or tofu, and a sauce blend of choice cooked in a hot wok or pan. To enhance your stir fry with an umami flavor, try adding in canned fish. 

Tinned fish is a great ingredient to have on hand for a variety of reasons. Not only is it high in protein (canned sockeye salmon, for example, has 26 grams of protein in only 100 grams, but it is chock-full of rich umami flavor. Umami, often considered the fifth taste, is used to describe the very savory, rich, and meaty flavors that are found in foods such as mushrooms, meat, cheese, and fatty fish. Due to their naturally higher fat content, fatty fish retain lots of moisture and have a bolder flavor (compared to leaner, dryer fish), making them ideal for tinning and being added to dishes like a stir fry.

While the type of fish you use is up to personal preference, each one will provide a different flavor profile. For a milder seafood flavor and nearly chicken-like texture, opt for canned tuna. Sardines and mackerel, on the other hand, offer a richer, oilier taste and tender texture that boosts the umami in your stir fry tenfold. To add both smokiness and umami, opt for tinned smoked salmon, which is flaky and high in omega-3 fatty acids.

First, note that tinned fish is already fully cooked and ready to eat. This means that cooking it too much will likely lead to tough, chewy fish that could put a damper on your stir fry. To avoid this, wait to add your fish until your other ingredients are cooked, and then toss them in the pan for just long enough to heat them up. 

Most tinned fish come in olive oil or sauce already (which you can absolutely save), but if you're hoping to pack even more of a punch in your stir fry, elevate the flavor of your tinned fish with fresh ingredients like lemons or capers. You can even get inventive with texture by frying your fish first, similar to the shrimp in this salt and pepper shrimp stir-fry recipe. To further boost the umami and seafood notes of your stir fry, try using fish sauce or seafood stock to add moisture to the rest of your ingredients, or top your dish with nori (a type of dried seaweed) or furikake (Japanese spice blend with seaweed). Once you've stirred and fried to your heart's content, pair your meal with some steaming jasmine rice or egg noodles for a complete, hearty meal.