July 2025 - Page 4 of 4

Titus Sardines in Soybean Oil and Chili Pepper

I had seen this brand, Titus Sardines, on Amazon, but didn't know what to expect, so I largely forgot about them. On a recent trip to a local international market, I just discovered they stocked tinned fish in three separate locations in the store, and there they were.

There were literally dozens of cans stacked high on the shelf, so I thought, "These must be popular." Three different types were available, but most all of the cans of one type had rusty rims. Many of another style had something leaked on (or from?) them. All of them were packed in soybean oil, which was disappointing. These with chili pepper seemed the most appealing, and since they lacked the physical flaws of the other two, I bought one can to try.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 3/5.

They were just some big pilchards, not very pretty ones at that. The upside, if there was one, was that what initially looked to be two turned out to be three. There was no fishy aroma. But overall they were kind of tasteless, no real heat, just blah.

Working through the can, there turned out to be four peppers of some type under the fish, greenish, and without much heat to them. Tasting the oil provided a little more heat, but nothing remarkable. Mostly meh... Oh, well.

They were only $2.19, but I thought the shelf price said $1.69. I won't be buying them again so, no matter. Kind of relieved I didn't overpay elsewhere. Live, learn.

Main Takeaways

Visually unappealing
Most of the heat was in the oil, didn't translate to the fish
At least they were cheap

Update: I visited the store again about 3 months later, and took a harder look at the stock. At that time the shelf price did say $2.19. The mountain of cans were still there, but I noticed the "best by" dates on all of them were less than a year away. Apparently, they had just bought a lot of them, and no, they're not that popular.

Brand: UNIMER/Titus
Description: Sardines in Olive Oil and Chili Pepper
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.37 oz.
Price Range: $2-3

Patagonia Provisions Sardines & White Beans

DeenLeave a comment

I purchased these at the same time as the black beans version, both on sale at Whole Foods. It's another version of a "tinned fish meal in a can" a few canneries are marketing. I really liked the first one and hoped this one would be as good.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.25/5.

The skin was a bit roughed up, so it didn't present as well as one would like to see. Only a few beans initially visible. There's a bit of an aroma of the seasonings.

Dumped out onto the rice, you can see all the add-ins: organic white beans, leeks, red bell pepper and the three medium-sized pilchards in EVOO with garlic, lemon juice, parsley and thyme.

Again, very tasty but 270 calories (without the rice, 490 with), and 150 more than the black bean version. Adding a cup of the microwaveable Minute Rice, preferably the jasmine or basmati, makes for a perfect lunch portion.

It's surprising that the white bean version is more than twice the calories of the black bean one. If I had to choose, calories aside, I think I prefer the black bean version. It has more of a sauce as opposed to an herbed olive oil.

See it at Amazon.

Brand: Patagonia Provisions
Description: Sardine & White 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

MW Polar Smoked Brisling in Canola Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I wasn't paying close enough attention, and didn't notice two things: that these MW Polar Smoked Brisling were packed in canola oil, and they also come packed in olive oil. I'm not sure why the olive oil version should be 50% more expensive. So is the "in water" version. Or maybe it's just another example of the pricing games played by certain online sellers.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

These are nicely packed, largely unblemished. The smoke aroma is room-filling. If smoked fish is not your thing, these are not for you. And it's real smoke, not an added flavoring. The bronze hue of the skin confirms it.

A slight quibble: the can says 2 layers, but I counted 14 fish total. You can see 11 of them in the just-opened can, so it's not two equal layers. I'd buy these again, and hope I can catch them when the olive oil version is priced more in line with what these were.

Update: I found an olive oil-packed version at Walmart in a 4.23 oz. "exhibition" can for only $2.46. Cha-ching!

Brand: MW Polar
Description: Smoked Brisling in Canola Oil
Species: Sprattus sprattus
Country of Origin: Latvia
Source: FAO 27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.52 oz.
Price Range: $4