July 2025 - Page 2 of 4

Cento Skinless Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil

I see these Cento Skinless Boneless Sardines in a lot of stores. I'm familiar with Cento mainly for their tomato products: crushed, San Marzano, sauce and paste. Their salt cured anchovies also seem quite ubiquitous. I've always been satisfied with their other products, so I decided to give these a try.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.2/5.

Four good-sized pilchards, fewer and larger than my preference. No aroma to speak of. The oil is clear, and neutral in taste. The meat is firm but a tad on the dry side, leading it to be a little bland. I also found some skin, a scale or two, and some spine in one of them. Not much information on the can other than "product of Morocco". No real surprise there.

They were a little over $3 at Whole Foods, but could probably be found for less elsewhere. As skinless & boneless pilchards go, I've been more satisfied with the King Oscar and the Brunswick in terms of taste, packing, processing cleanness and price.

Main Takeaways

Not the prettiest boneless skinless pilchards
Dry and bland
Competitors in price range do a better job

See it at Amazon.

Brand: Cento Fine Foods, Inc.
Description: Skinless & Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.375 oz.
Price Range: $3-4

Dong Won Light Standard and Hot Pepper Tuna

DeenLeave a comment

Two selections from Dong Won, a South Korean tuna producer. I watched a video of their operation, which covered from catch to can. Obviously a promotional video, but they were putting together gift sets packaged in sampler boxes tucked inside vinyl carrying cases with Velcro closures. I figured this must be some premium stuff. A local Asian market stocks it, so I decided to take a chance, and bought a couple of cans each of the Light Standard Tuna and Hot Pepper Tuna. But, at only $2 for a 100gm. can, I didn't set my expectations too high.

Dong Won Light Standard Tuna

Initial impression upon opening the can: 3/5.

The can was fairly full. I was immediately hit with a tuna fishy aroma. Trying to pick out chunks, I was unable to do so. Just pieces, flakes. The flavor was that of an above average supermarket canned tuna. I tried a little Salsa Espinaler on it, and that perked it up a little.

Google Lens was able to translate some of the Korean verbiage to reveal it's skipjack tuna. Most of the wording on the can was too small and dense to be reliably translated.

The Gift Set

I thought maybe the stuff in the video was their "above standard" tuna, some that warranted inclusion in a "premium gift set". I watched it again, but it had 12 cans of the Light Standard, and 4 rectangular tins of something I couldn't identify. Until I found this. Unfathomably, it's ham.

At this point, I decided to just move on and try the hot pepper version.

Dong Won Hot Pepper Tuna

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4/5.

But what the heck are those white chunks in there? Potato? In tuna? Otherwise, it looked appetizing enough. The chile pepper seasoning overpowered any tuna fishy aroma. Actually, it was quite tasty, not too hot.

But I can come up with no reason why there should be any potato or even any other filler in a can of tuna. Especially considering it's not mentioned on the can (not that I can read it). I looked it up online, and there's also carrot and onion in there as well. Quite odd. I might try this one again if I happen to go to the market for something else.

Also packed in 150gm. cans. See it at Amazon.

Brand: Dong Won
Description: Light Standard and Hot Pepper Tuna
Species: Katsuwonus pelamis
Country of Origin: South Korea
Source: FAO61, Northwest Pacific
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.17 oz.
Price Range: $2

La Narval Tuna Ventresca in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

"Ventresca" is the Spanish word for belly fillets of yellowfin tuna. The best part of the tuna. The most tender, delicately-flavored tuna. And it isn't cheap. A typical can will cost you 3 to 5 times more than whatever the supermarket calls its best canned tuna. And it just may be worth it. I found this La Narval Tuna Ventresca at the local World Market, and couldn't resist trying it.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

The can is packed with slices of firm, light pink tuna. Submerged in the almost transparent olive oil, there is little to no aroma. The carton says the oil is Spanish. A sip of the oil gives a subtle, clean tuna taste. The ingredients list nothing more than the tuna, olive oil and salt.

Sampling a slice confirms the superiority of ventresca in the world of tuna. I had intended to incorporate it into some kind of lunch dish, but found myself hard-pressed to stop eating slice after slice directly from the can. This is the kind of tuna you want to be the star of a dish, not glopped in mayo like plain old tuna salad. But more like in a Nicoise Salad.

Inspecting the carton and can for sourcing details, I was surprised that the bottom of the can appeared to indicate FAO51, the Western Indian Ocean. As a product of Spain, I expected it to come from a little closer to home.

Main Takeaways

Beautiful slices of tuna belly
Superior tuna flavor
Don't waste it making tuna salad

See it at Amazon.

Brand: La Narval
Description: Tuna Ventresca in Olive Oil
Species: Thunnus albacares
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO51, Western Indian Ocean
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.9 oz.
Price Range: $10

BELA Sardines in EVOO with Piri-Piri

DeenLeave a comment

Officially described as BELA Sardines in EVOO with Piri-Piri and Smoke Flavor. All things considered, this brand is pretty consistent in terms of both quality and value. BELA is also good for fully disclosing all its bona fides right there on the can. Species of fish, ingredients by percentage of weight, country of origin, cannery code, etc.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

The skin is a little roughed up in spots. A tightly packed can, with 4 medium to large pilchards. No scales to be found. Fresh sardine aroma. I'm not seeing any seasoning, but that's usually under the fish. Tasting the oil, I didn't find much in the way of heat. Good quality oil, though.

Dumped out over some rice for lunch, and there's the piri-piri. One little pepper. It didn't do much to spice or heat things up, but then it was barely an inch long. I tasted it by itself. Not much to report.

Tasting as many cans as I have recently, the more I tend to think the addition of flavoring elements is more about marketing and consumer psychology than anything else. Unless it's really spiced up, such as those sardines or mackerel with clove, peppercorn, bay leaf and so forth, you often don't get much from one little pepper or a sliver of lemon. Fortunately, they don't seem to affect the price much, if at all.

Otherwise, these were top notch. Firm, meaty pilchards, not dry, with a clean, fresh sardine taste. Recommended.

Main Takeaways

Generous portion
Spice and smoke largely MIA
Great fish otherwise

See it at Amazon.

Brand: BELA Brand Seafood
Description: Sardines in EVOO with Piri-Piri and Smoke Flavor
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.23 oz.
Price Range: $4-5

Patagonia Provisions Spicy Mussels

DeenLeave a comment

Caught them on a sale at Whole Foods, where they go for normally about $8 a can. Mussels are always a nice break from sardines, mackerel, etc. And they're typically a cut above the usually pedestrian smoked oysters, as these Patagonia Provisions Spicy Mussels in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil definitely are.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

These look nice, and the can is full. I counted 20 or 21 whole mussels. The banner on the box says "Hot, Tangy, Sweet", and that's about right. Not too hot, though. Tangy as well, and I guess the sweet really comes from the mussels themselves. Really tasty.

The box urges you to "flip can onto a plate so seasonings flow evenly over mussels." I dumped them over some rice for a quick lunch. The image on the Patagonia website oversells the red bell pepper content a bit. Maybe chalk that up to food-styling photography. If these were plain, I'd put a few dashes of Salsa Espinaler on them, but that's not necessary. I think the same sensibility was used when concocting this flavor profile, though.

This is the first can of mussels I've noticed that honestly lists mussel broth as the primary liquid, with the EVOO being sixth on the list of ingredients.

Main Takeaways

Visually appealing
Seasoned as advertised
Plenty of mussels

Recommended. I'd buy these again. Hopefully on sale.

See it at Amazon.

Brand: Patagonia Provisions
Description: Patagonia Provisions Spicy Mussels in EVOO
Species: N/S
Country of Origin: Spain, Chile
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic; FAO87, Southeast Pacific
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $7-8

Chicken of the Sea Sardines in Lemon Sauce

DeenLeave a comment

I purchased these Chicken of the Sea Sardines in Lemon Sauce in a group with the Louisiana hot sauce and Mediterranean versions. As with both of those, they are labeled as being either sprats or herring. They turned out to be sprats. The can had a bit of slosh, indicating a less than full packing of fish.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 3.5/5.

The haphazard packing was not a surprise. Clean aroma. Attempting to extract a whole intact sprat from the can was difficult. They were "fall apart-y", to quote another sardine taster. The label says "smoke flavor", but I wasn't getting any of it. Nonetheless, the meat was tender and the tails weren't prickly.

The lemon "sauce " is apparently achieved by a combo of sugar, citric acid, lemon juice concentrate and xanthan gum. Even though consisting of more-or-less natural ingredients, it tasted a bit artificial. I wouldn't say it warranted being called a "sauce", either. There was no viscosity to it. Odd that the label shows a "serving suggestion" that includes a lemon wedge.

Main Takeaways

Messy presentation
Borderline mushy
Promised flavoring underdelivered

These aren't terrible for the price, under $2 per can. But I doubt I'll be buying them again.

See it at Amazon.

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

Wild Planet Wild Smoked Pink Salmon

DeenLeave a comment

Officially described as Wild Planet Wild Smoked Pink Salmon in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. First foray into tinned salmon. I remember the tall round cans years ago from which my mother made salmon salad. It had the little cylindrical vertebrae bones in it that would just pulverize on contact, the only fish bones I wasn't afraid of getting stuck in my throat as a child. While boneless, this salmon is quite different from that in all other respects.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4/5.

I guess I was expecting more than I should have. I've seen those cans of really premium smoked salmon reviewed, and that stuff is amazing-looking. Of course, it also costs twice to three times as much.

This is boneless, but not skinless. It ended up being mostly skinless because most of the skin stuck to the bottom of the can when I pried it out.

The flavor is very smoke forward, almost to the point of overpowering the fish flavor. The package doesn't say if the fish is naturally wood smoked or artificially flavored. Ads claim it is wood-fire smoked.

We eat fresh, broiled salmon regularly, so the tougher texture of this was also comparatively surprising. I think I'll chalk this one up to experience, and maybe check into that more spendy one I've seen that I thought looked so appealing.

Main Takeaways

Smoke stronger than necessary
Superior to most supermarket varieties
Better versions far more costly

See it at Amazon.

Brand: Wild Planet
Description: Wild Smoked Pink Salmon in EVOO
Species: Oncorhynchus gorbuscha
Country of Origin: Latvia
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 3.9 oz.
Price Range: $5