Sardeenz!

Angelo Parodi Mackerel Fillets with Pepper & Ginger

I received these Angelo Parodi Mackerel Fillets with Pepper & Ginger with a recent order from International Loft. The flavor combination sounded interesting, as I had not seen ginger used before. Fingers crossed.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Very nice, appetizing-looking, skinless and boneless fillets of mackerel. The aroma from the can is of fresh fish, tuna-like. I'm not getting a sense of the seasonings yet. A sip of the oil is also unrevealing, save for a subtle hint of heat.

Tasting a bit of fish on its own, it has a robust flavor. The texture is firm, again reminiscent of tuna. But not in a bad way. The salt level is about right. The olive oil is of good quality.

Time to Eat

Angelo Parodi Mackerel Fillets in olive oil with Ginger and Pepper over rice

Pulling them from the can, the fillets remained mostly intact. A two inch-long pepper appeared, but I saw no ginger. Could it be powdered or?

I poured the rest of the contents over the fish and rice, hoping the heat would make the spices "bloom" a bit.

I arranged things nicely for a photo, then started to dig in. As I ate, I noted the spices remained as undertones to the fish flavor. A background heat, but also a certain something I could only attribute to the ginger. It wasn't in-your-face, but I can only characterize it as something you'd miss if it was no longer there.

Halfway through, a sliver of ginger appeared from nowhere. I tasted it, but its inherent flavor had apparently been subdued by the canning process. It still had a crispness to it, however.

I liked this, even if the spices weren't as intense as anticipated. The pricing was quite reasonable, the vendor being the direct importer likely having much to do with that.

Main Takeaways

Good quality, flavorful mackerel, even without the seasonings
Subtle spices didn't wow me as I had hoped
Still a bargain

Brand: Angel Parodi
Description: Mackerel Fillets with Pepper & Ginger
Species: Scomber sp.
Country of Origin: Italy
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $4-5

Wild Planet Wild Sardines in Water

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These Wild Planet Wild Sardines in Water came in a 3-pack from Whole Foods. They were inexpensive enough, about $3 per can when not on sale. I figured little to lose at the just under $7 sale price.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 3/5.

I really need to start paying better attention to labeling on the package, and less to just the price. I again overlooked the fact that these are not Eastern Atlantic pilchards, but instead Northern Pacific Sardinops sp. There are four in the can.

The aroma from the can is underwhelming, kind of aquarium fishy. I tasted a sip of the water apprehensively. Blah... They do have a reasonably nice appearance, though, for what they are.

Forging Ahead

They are tender, and fall apart somewhat readily when trying to lift them from the can. Not quite the "firm meaty texture". A taste of the fish is also underwhelming, bland. The package calls it "rich mild flavor". I note I also overlooked (or ignored) the "no salt added" on the carton. It should just say "no salt", even if the sodium is 70mg. It really tasted like no salt at all. On the upside, there are no scales, as the package proudly notes.

A little dash of hot sauce didn't help. Putting them on a saltine cracker only made them taste like cracker. Sigh... Now I have two more cans I don't know what to do with. I suppose I'll need to come up with something to hide these in so that I can at least benefit from the protein and Omega-3 content.

Main Takeaways

Inexpensive
Why can't these be pilchards?
Needed salt, badly
Note to self: Stop buying sardines in water

It's a shame these were so disappointing. Some Wild Planet selections I've found quite pleasant, others not so much.

I noted an observation made in a recent review by Canned Fish Files, one with which I concur. Plain Pacific sardines just don't taste as good as the pilchards from the Eastern Atlantic. At least not to those whose palate is accustomed or attuned to the latter. Perhaps it's telling, though, that you rarely if ever see Asian brands packing sardines from that region without some sauce or cooking technique, like miso paste or kabayaki.

Follow Up

I ended up putting the content of both the remaining cans, sans the water, over rice, and liberally dousing them with some Lao Gan Ma Fried Chili in Oil. Its heat, umami and salt made up for the blandness of the fish. So not all was lost.

Brand: Wild Planet
Description: Sardines in Water
Species: Sardinops sagax or melanostictus
Country of Origin: Thailand
Source: FAO61, Northwest Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $3

Minerva Limited Edition Sardines with Lemon & Thyme

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These Minerva Limited Edition Sardines with Lemon & Thyme came with that initial order from International Loft. I hadn't encountered this particular flavor combination anywhere before. It sounded intriguing. So was the notion of a limited edition. I hoped both together would make for something special.

They are nicely packaged, in a style befitting a premium offering. The can is wrapped in a glossy black paper, then slipped into a sleeve adorned with metallic red and gold graphics.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

The aroma of the thyme hits you immediately. A sip of the oil is heavy with the flavor of the thyme. The lemon is there, but fighting to peek through. Three big pilchards. I'd hoped they would be smaller, as that usually means a fresher tasting, more tender fish. Ultimately, it wasn't a factor.

Let's Get Into It

Trying to pull fish intact from the can is difficult. They are very tender. An initial bite is melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The little bit of thyme seen in the photo belies the actual content. Underneath, there is a serious amount of thyme, like maybe as much as a half teaspoon (or more?). The olive oil is not listed as EVOO, but is of high quality.

I managed to get them out over rice largely intact. The skin peeled away at the slightest touch. I was surprised to see a few scales.

I poured the rest of the can contents over the fish, wanting to get the full experience. In retrospect, I should have left some (read: most) of the thyme in the can.

As I worked my way through, I noted the lemon still managing to make its presence known. Even through all that thyme, I could taste hints of both the pulp and zest.

I also thought a little more salt might have been in order. It has a way of accentuating other flavors, particularly citrus. Best I can tell, it was a relatively low 107mg.

Main Takeaways

Tender, tasty fish, even though larger than my preference
Too much thyme for the lemon to really shine through
Not enough salt

If I buy these again, I'll definitely leave the excess thyme in the can. The amount included wasn't necessary, and might have actually been a negative, all things considered.

Brand: A Poveira/MInerva
Description: Limited Edition Sardines in Olive Oil w/Lemon & Thyme
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.25 oz.
Price Range: $8

Briosa Gourmet Spiced Sardines

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These Briosa Gourmet Spiced Sardines came with my first order from International Loft. I had not encountered the brand before at any of my usual local or online sources. I was looking forward to giving them a try.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nice looking fish. Packed silvery belly side up. Four stocky pilchards. The oil is tinted a coppery orange from the pepper. A few scales, but not enough to complain about. The can is a deep one, and the net weight is a generous 4.2 oz.

Not too much in the way of aroma coming from the can. A sip of the oil gives hints of the spices and a subtle amount of heat. They are packed in olive oil, which is apparently of good quality, even if not listed as EVOO. Packed in tight, too. It was difficult to get an entire fish out of the can intact. They were quite tender.

A first taste of the fish is impressive. Everything seems in balance, from the fresh sardine flavor to the spices, to the amount of salt. All spot on. Underneath, there's a pickle slice, the obligatory paper-thin sliver of carrot, and a chili pepper about two inches long. I taste clove, listed on the wrapper, but there doesn't seem to be one in the can. No bay leaf, but I didn't miss it.

If I had any complaint, it would be that the fish, while very tender, was a tad dry. But it didn't stop me from finishing the can.

Examining the wrapper, I see Briosa Gourmet is under the Conservas Portugal Norte umbrella, along with Porthos. Looking back at my review of the Porthos Spiced Sardines, I note they have quite a bit in common. These Briosa, however, were about 25% cheaper. I'd buy them again.

Brand: Conservas Portugal Norte / Briosa Gourmet
Description: Spiced sardines in olive oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $4-5

More Tins Incoming

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Latest order of tinned fish just arrived. From a new (to me) vendor, International Loft. Some cans from brands I haven't tried before. Click on the photo to see what I got.

Fishwife Sardines with Hot Pepper

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I picked up these Fishwife Sardines with Hot Pepper at Whole Foods the last time they were on sale there. I've worked my way through about half their catalog of tinned fish so far. I wanted to see how they compared to the version with preserved lemon. Let's see how these are.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Another of those tough to open cans. These look really nice. Silvery skin with no scales apparent. They still have their pelvic fins, which normally aren't prickly, so they don't present a problem. The aroma is of a very fresh sardine. A sip of the EVOO is neutral until the pepper sneaks up at the back of the throat. The pepper has a different note than the usual piri-piri I'm used to. The carton just says "hot pepper".

A small taste finds the pepper's heat hasn't really translated to the fish. Nonetheless, they are reasonably firm yet tender, and have a really good sardine flavor.

Let's Eat

There were four stocky pilchards. One I ate by itself to get a sense of the quality. They resisted being pried from the can, so they got a little roughed up.

Out over rice, there's the pepper. It doesn't look any different than what you find in most cans of spicy sardines. I also poured about half the oil remaining in the can over all of it. I figured it would be the best chance of maximizing the hot pepper experience.

Working through it, the pepper level was steady, and didn't become fatiguing. The meat on these is tender and not dry at all. The salt level was OK. It seemed less than the average 340mg. listed, though.

Main Takeaways

Top quality sardine, hot pepper or no
Initial impression was of possibly more heat than necessary, but didn't turn out to be the case
Spendy, but a bargain if found on sale

Reasonably priced at Amazon, but only in a 4-pack assortment.

Brand: Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co.
Description: Sardines with hot pepper
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $8

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Chicken of the Sea Sardines Mediterranean Style

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I got these Chicken of the Sea Sardines Mediterranean Style at a supermarket a good while ago, and had largely forgotten about them. Probably because I had too many better cans to try. Anyway, it's good to keep trying tins from all price ranges because, for better or worse, you never know what you might find.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.7/5.

Visually, not bad, not bad at all. A little roughed up skin, but not a totally haphazard packing. They are sprats, and I wonder if I'll ever come across a can packed with herring instead, as the label indicates I might.

Not really any distinctive aroma coming through. A sip of the oil, listed primarily as soybean, has only the most subtle hint of the seasonings. There do appear, however, to be a reasonable amount of olive slices and a lesser amount of finely chopped seasonings. EVOO is further down the ingredient list, and I wondered if it was only there courtesy of the olives.

Digging In

"Digging in" is apropos, as they are quite tender. I couldn't get a single fish out of the can without it totally falling apart. I wouldn't characterize them as mushy (or maybe I would), but I would have preferred a good deal more firmness.

Far down the ingredient list is smoke flavor, but I didn't detect it. The salt level was just about right, but I wondered if the olives had more to do with it than the intentional addition of salt. I looked for sodium content on the label, but only just now realized they don't list any nutritional info. You are given a phone number to call to get it from there. As if... Their website says 400mg.

There were about 8 decent size sprats total. By the time I reached the last 10% of the contents, all I had left were a few olive slices and a small pile of sardine debris equal to about one sprat's worth of meat.

Main Takeaways

The presentation was a little better than the other Chicken of the Sea sardines I've tried to date
Too "fall apart-y"
The overall flavor was OK, but missing any hint of smokiness promised

Parting Thoughts

This was the last of three cans purchased to assess Chicken of the Sea flavored varieties, including those in lemon sauce and in Louisiana hot sauce. Looking back, my experience with and opinion of the Mediterranean style and the lemon sauce version was virtually the same. The hot sauce version, I thought, was the best of the three.

Brand: Chicken of the Sea
Description: Brisling Sardines Mediterranean Style
Species: Sprattus sprattus
Country of Origin: Poland
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.75 oz.
Price Range: $2