There was a time when canneries were a staple of coastal fishing communities across North America, preserving the seasonal catch with salt, smoke and time. It’s a tradition that has long fascinated Prince Edward Island-born chef Charlotte Langley, whose work has centred on finding new ways to bring sustainably sourced seafood to the modern table. Today, she’s the founder and CEO of Nice Cans, her boldly packaged line of premium tinned seafood.

When ELLE Gourmet first asked Langley to build us a seacuterie board, she was working with Scout, the tinned-seafood brand she helped build. Her idea was simple: rethink the familiar charcuterie board around seafood.

But, before we talk about how to build a seacuterie board, first things first: did Chef Charlotte Langley, Chief Culinary Officer of Scout Canning, invent the idea (and name) of a ‘seacuterie’ board? “You know what? I think I did,” she says with satisfaction. “Everyone was all, ‘charcuterie!’ And I was like, what about seacuterie? We even tried to trademark that name, but that stuff’s billions of dollars. It’s not really reasonable. You know what I’m talking about!”

What Charlotte Langley Is Doing Now

Langley has since launched Nice Cans, her own line of chef-created tinned seafood. The collection currently includes sardines with rosemary and fennel, sardines in tomatoes and peppers, and smoked sardines in organic olive oil and sea salt. The wild-caught sardines are MSC-certified and produced in collaboration with Portuguese conservas company José Gourmet.

It doesn’t need to look perfect to be delicious, Charlotte says. Her approach to cooking is all about investment. “The more we respect the product and make it beautiful, the happier it’s gonna be, and it always becomes a better experience,” she says. “So just take it easy and enjoy the process.”

Creating your own seacuterie board is turnkey if you have Scout Market’s Holiday Seacuterie Board Bundle. Perfect for the sustainable snacker, Chef Charlotte Langley’s curated ‘Seacuterie’ bundle includes a 3-pack of Scout fan favourites, a chic acacia wood serving board, oyster shucker, stoneware bowls and 4 cheese tools.