Chef Charlotte Langley + Easy Recipe -

We’re obsessed with Chef Charlotte Langley’s Nice Cans. But it’s not what you think. This cheeky named Canadian brand could be associated with skin but the conversation here is actually about sardines: Nice Cans sardines, to be exact. We already know the tiny fish is naturally loaded with nutrients with many health benefits but a beauty hack? That too!

Sardinemaxxing is the latest beauty trend, and some social media influencers are touting sardines as nature’s Botox. Okay, that might just be taking it to an extreme. However, while it doesn’t erase wrinkles or fine lines, eating them can support skin and overall health from the inside out.

Sardines are one of the most nutrient dense fish you can eat. “They’re packed with omega 3 fatty acids, which support heart and brain health,” said Langley. “Because they’re small and low on the food chain, sardines carry very low mercury levels compared to larger fish like tuna or swordfish. Canned with the bones in, sardines are an excellent natural source of calcium and vitamin D. They’re also high protein, high B12 food, making them a great option for energy and muscle maintenance. Sardines are also one of the most sustainable proteins available, since they reproduce quickly and sit low on the marine food web.”

Langley, founder of Canadian tinned seafood brand Nice Cans, has been championing sardines long before influencers decided they were a beauty hack. She’s a classically trained chef raised on Prince Edward Island and now based in Prince Edward County. But she explains, calling herself a chef undersells what she actually does day-to-day. She is a CEO and increasingly seen as a builder of Canadian food infrastructure.

“I spent more than twenty years in premium food and beverage before founding and later exiting Scout Canning, which gave me my first real education in what it takes to build and sell a Canadian food company, not just cook for one,” said Langley. “That experience is the reason Nice Cans exists as a platform company from day one, not a single product with a nice label. I’m currently raising capital to scale it nationally and into the US and UK, working with investors, distributors, and manufacturing partners across three countries, on top of running product development and the brand itself.”

She also serves as the Marine Stewardship Council‘s Canadian Chef Ambassador, and represented Canadian sustainable seafood on stages like the Blue Foods Summit in Boston and Seafood Expo North America. She’s currently writing her first cookbook, Nice Cans: A Boldly Delicious Cookbook, which will publish in Spring of 2027. And if you think her plate is full, she also co-hosts a podcast, Cheryl & Larry’s, with her friend Glen. Closer to home, she’s taken on Chef in Residence at The Outpost in Prince Edward County and ran Chef Char’s Snack Shack at Base31 in Picton this past summer. She believes part of leadership in food is staying rooted in the community you actually cook for.

“My guiding philosophy is what I call “delicious responsibility” and “slow equity”: build something genuinely excellent, build it sustainably, and build it in a way that respects the people and the fisheries behind every can, and the investors and partners who believe in the long game with you, but I’m just as proud of the oyster shucking competition I host every year in memory of my late friend. That’s the community this brand, and this next chapter of Canadian food leadership, comes from,” said Langley.

What makes Nice Cans sardines different?

Aside from its eye-catching packaging, Langley tells us most sardines on Canadian shelves are made to hit a price point. “Nice Cans is made to hit a flavour point. That’s the difference between commodity and a craft product. Every recipe starts in a chef’s kitchen, not a factory spec sheet. We’re smoking our sardines, building layered flavours like Rosemary & Fennel and Tomato & Peppers, and packing everything in organic olive oil instead of the cheapest oil that will fit the can. It’s a completely different starting point than most of what’s on the shelf.”

They are also MSC certified, which means the fish is independently verified as sustainably sourced. “That’s not a marketing sticker; it’s a supply chain commitment,” said Langley. “Add in that we’re a woman owned company and a 1% for the Planet member, and you start to see that Nice Cans isn’t a tinned fish brand.”

The company is not just impressive. It’s a chef led, certified, multi-category canned food platform, and sardines are just where they started.

What does Langley wish we knew about sardines in Canada?

That they deserve better than a joke about cat food or a last resort pantry item. “In Europe, tinned seafood is a genuine culinary category; you’ll find beautifully made conservas served at the table with good bread and a glass of wine, no apology necessary. In Canada, we’re still catching up on that reputation,” said Langley.

She also wished more people knew where their sardines actually come from. “Provenance matters. A can that’s traceable back to a certified fishery and a real production partner is a completely different product from an anonymous tin on a bottom shelf, even if they look similar from the outside. Canada is a huge, sophisticated food market, and I think it’s ready for tinned fish to be treated as the delicious, serious category it already is everywhere else in the world.”

Here’s a quick and easy recipe provided by Chef Langley…