June 2025 - Sardeenz!

Ortiz Bonito del Norte White Tuna

This Ortiz Bonito del Norte White Tuna was on sale at Whole Foods. From Spain, Bonito del Norte (Northern Beauty) is albacore white tuna, famed for its mild and delicate flavor. This selection, from Conservas Ortiz, is a prime example.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

Solid white tuna, with a delicate aroma. The can is so tightly packed getting the first bit out was a struggle. A sip of the olive oil is very neutral, neither adding nor subtracting from the flavor.

A really solid chunk of tuna here, as thick as the can is deep. The taste was that of a very mild fish, with none of the "metallic" note I experienced in another, more expensive brand recently.

Ortiz also sells this same tuna in a slightly larger, oval-shaped can. At less than an ounce more, it's puzzling why they offer both. The cost per ounce (at regular price) is virtually the same, however.

This would be very good in a Sicilian Tuna & Orange Salad.

See it at Amazon.

Brand: Conservas Ortiz
Description: Albacore Tuna in Olive Oil
Species: Thunnus alalunga
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.24 oz.
Price Range: $6-7

Northern Catch Smoked Oysters with Red Chili Pepper

DeenLeave a comment

Picked up these Northern Catch Smoked Oysters with Red Chili Pepper at Aldi on a whim. You don't really see any variation in smoked oysters beyond some brands-- Roland comes to mind-- that grade and sell them according to size. The Aldi exclusive brand, has two versions of smoked oysters, a regular smoked and this one "with red chili pepper". Both retail for under a buck and a half.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4/5.

As with most canned smoked oysters, the aroma is about the same. There was the red pepper, right there on top. I counted 12 oysters in this particular can, whole as per the package, and about medium size as canned smoked oysters go. Texturally, about average for smoked oysters. Some were "meatier" than others.

Like the regular version, these are packed in cottonseed oil. The pepper imparted only the slightest heat to the contents. I might not have realized it was there had I not known beforehand. Tasting the pepper, I was surprised it didn't infuse the oil or oysters more, as it was rather piquant. All things considered, however, hard to beat at the price.

Brand: Aldi/Northern Catch
Description: Smoked Oysters with red chili pepper
Species: Crassostrea Gigas
Country of Origin: China
Source: Farmed
Skin/Bones: N/A
Net Wt: 3.0 oz.
Price Range: $1-2

A Tale of Two Aldi Sardines in Hot Sauce

DeenLeave a comment

Well, they went and messed with it again. You may remember my enthusiastic review of Aldi Sardines in Hot Sauce some time ago. When I went to restock at Aldi last week, there were absolutely no sardines on the shelf. Zero, zilch, nada. This week explained the absence. They changed them from pilchards to sprats, and from harissa to something more akin to an actual hot sauce.

I bought three cans anyway. Then I went to another Aldi and bought all of the old type they had left, about a dozen cans. Then I went home, and opened one of the new cans to assess the situation.

Initial impression upon opening the can 3.5/5.

They now come in a labeled, unboxed can. As mentioned above, they're now sprats. They are also now 3.75 oz. vs. 4.25 oz. Shaking the unopened can, you can feel the slosh. There was space enough left for probably two more fish, so it was possible for them to have remained 4.25 oz. Shrinkflation indeed.

Taste-wise, they aren't bad at all. The sauce ingredients are quite different. Rather than the mild, warm heat of harissa, they now have an utterly piquant sauce. Not burning fire hot, but that kind of vinegary heat that sets your face and scalp to sweating. They're either very tender or mushy, depending upon your point of view. Trying to lift individual fish out of the can with culinary tweezers resulted in most breaking in half.

They are now a product of Poland rather than Morocco, and are sourced from FAO27 (Northeast Atlantic) rather than FAO34 (Eastern Central Atlantic). Looking for nutritional facts, I found none, only a notation to write to the address listed on the can.

Main Takeaways

Don't fix what ain't broken
Different, but not terrible
Fall apart easily

I suppose I can live with these. Still 99 cents.

Brand: Aldi/Northern Catch
Description: Sardines in Hot Sauce
Species: Sprats
Country of Origin: Poland
Source: FAO27, Northeastern Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.75 oz.
Price Range: $1

Patagonia Provisions Sardines & Black Beans

DeenLeave a comment

I got these Patagonia Provisions Sardines & Black Beans mainly because Patagonia Provisions is on sale for 30% off (thru 7/15/25, reg. $7.79) for Amazon Prime members at Whole Foods. It also seemed that, over rice, this would make a good lunch. A banner on the box says, "Ready for quick meals", so there you go. Let's see if they were right.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

Three medium-sized pilchards in a viscous sauce. Clean-looking fish with no apparent scales. As with most all cans with add-ins, they're under the fish.

Dumping the can out onto the rice, you can see all the goodies: organic black beans, corn and the three pilchards in a sauce full of herbs and spices. All in all, very tasty at only 120 calories (without the rice, 340 with). Firm, meaty fish. And the add-ins don't mean there's less fish in the can, which is a plus. I also got the white beans version to try later.

See it at Amazon.

Brand: Patagonia Provisions
Description: Sardines & Black Beans
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $7-8

Choshita Sardine Kabayaki

DeenLeave a comment

I purchased these Choshita Sardine Kabayaki as part of a combo assortment along with some Saury Kabayaki. I was curious to see what type of sardine it would be, but I'm still not sure. It appears to be fillets of a fish too large to be packed whole in the can. I'll have to assume it's one of the species found in the Pacific Northwest.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 3.5/5.

The aroma and appearance are about the same as the same brand of saury kabayaki. The sauce obscures whatever color the meat might be. The flavor was also virtually indistinguishable, the preparation and sauce overpowering the fish flavor. More bones evident than in the saury as well. The meat is tender, though, and not dry at all.

More Than Expected

Out over rice, there's substantially more fish than what appears to be in the just-opened can, which is not all that deep.

I chose to dump most of the can liquid out over everything, to try to get the most flavor from it.

As I worked my way through the bowl, I found myself thinking how much better I liked the kabayaki treatment in combination with the rice.

All in all, the lackluster appearance aside, I thought this was pretty good.

English Translation

I decided to see if I could translate the Japanese-only packaging, and Google Lens was able to accomplish that in a snap. I'll use it next time I encounter a non-English package.

See it on Amazon.

Brand: Choshita [Tawara Canning Co.Ltd]
Description: Sardine Kabayaki
Species: ?
Country of Origin: Japan
Source: FAO61, Northwest Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $5-6

Patagonia Provisions Lemon Olive White Anchovies

DeenLeave a comment

Been wanting to try some white anchovies for some time now, but they're hard to find at local stores. The only option available was these Patagonia Provisions Lemon Olive White Anchovies. Unlike the pizza topping, Caesar salad variety, they are more akin to sardines. Described on the carton as "mild, delicate uncured anchovies".

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

These look nice. A little roughed-up looking, but not too bad. Clean aroma. Skin but no scales. And the olives are more than an afterthought. I counted about 10 slices.

The lemon component also very nice, achieved via organic apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. I'm not sure I wouldn't have just thought these were sardines if I didn't know better. The meat was firm, and the whole can poured over a cup of jasmine rice made for a tasty lunch. A little spendy at just over $7 a can, but the quality is there. Recommended.

See it at Amazon.

Brand: Patagonia Provisions
Description: White anchovies with olives and lemon in EVOO
Species: Engraulis encrasicolus
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $7

King Oscar Mackerel in Olive Oil with Lemon

DeenLeave a comment

Fully described as King Oscar Royal Fillets Mackerel in Olive Oil with Lemon. The quest for great lemon flavor in a can of tinned fish is realized. Only to be disappointed by the lackluster presentation.

Initial impression upon opening the can: Are you kidding me?

Just look at it. This is not what I've come to expect from King Oscar mackerel, or any King Oscar for that matter. An amorphous mass of fish debris. No planks of mackerel fillet, just clumps and shreds of pieces parts.

Visually, it's no more appealing than a can of cheap supermarket tuna in oil. I mean, come on, it says "Royal Fillets" right there on the can. Some might say, "Well, the lemon juice did that." While the acidity may have denatured proteins in the meat, it certainly didn't stir it up into mush.

The upside? The lemon flavor is actually quite good. The ingredients say spirit vinegar, concentrated lemon juice and natural lemon flavoring, along with some salt, are responsible for the flavor. It works. Not as great as squeezing your own fresh lemon juice, though. More like that from one of those plastic lemon-shaped squeeze-bulbs of reconstituted lemon juice. But compared to what many others call "with lemon" or "lemon flavor" that fall woefully short, this KO is actually superior in conveying a more-or-less realistic lemon juice flavor.

Only one can was available for me to try, so I may have to risk buying another to confirm if this messy fish presentation is just a fluke. At under $3 a can, I'm willing to give KO the benefit of the doubt.

Brand: King Oscar
Description: Mackerel in Olive Oil with Lemon
Species: North Atlantic mackerel
Country of Origin: Poland
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.05 oz.
Price Range: $2-3