August 2025 - Sardeenz!

Wildfish Cannery Habanero Smoked Coho Salmon

I've been waiting to crack open this Wildfish Cannery Habanero Smoked Coho Salmon for some time now. I tried a few other cans of various smoked salmon in the interim, and wanted to have a broader frame of reference before trying this more premium offering.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Impressive. From the deep color to the marbling of the fish to the aroma of smoke and the myriad seasonings, just impressive. Extracting a small bite, the flavor and texture are overwhelming in multiple (good) ways: smoky, heat, sweet, savory, salty; the meat al dente from the authentic smoking process. I found it hard to stop picking bites directly from the can. But I wanted to get it out over some rice to get all of that sauce. Here's what's in it:

Wild Alaska Coho salmon, habanero hot sauce (Alaskan bull kelp, fermented peppers, mango puree, water, vinegar, agave, salt, conc. lime juice, garlic, xanthan, rosemary extract, dried habanero pepper), sea salt, brown sugar, garlic, and black pepper.

There is some skin with a thin layer of fat adding to the mouth feel. As I ate more of it, I found the heat to be steady, not at all fatiguing on the palate.

The complexity of the flavor of the sauce was deep and, again, impressive. There's that word again.

The salt, however, was another story. The carton says the contents is two servings, so the total for the can is 840mg. sodium. That's kind of pushing it. Still, it didn't seem untenable, just quite noticeable.

All things considered, there's much to recommend this one.

Main Takeaways

Impressive color, aroma and texture
Steady, balanced habanero heat
Complex flavors from a baker's dozen of ingredients

See it at Amazon. Unfortunately, a little pricier there than elsewhere, but can be had in eaches.

Brand: Wildfish Cannery
Description: Habanero Smoked Coho Salmon
Species: Alaskan Coho salmon
Country of Origin: USA
Source: FAO67, Northeast Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $10

Porthos Spiced Sardines in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I had been putting off getting these Porthos Spiced Sardines in Olive Oil because I hadn't seen or heard much about them. Big mistake on my part. They were $6 at World Market.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Some real beauties here, folks. A subtle whiff of clove when the lid was cracked open. A sip of the oil neutral, until it hits the back of the throat. The fish are melt-in-your-mouth tender. Pickle, carrot, clove and a red pepper under the fish. And the pickle is a pickle, even though the can says cucumber. No bay leaf, but I didn't miss it. The ingredients credit pepper seed and chilli flavoring for the heat, which is not overpowering. A really nice balance on the seasonings here.

These compare favorably with the Ati Manel, the Nuri, and the JOSE Gourmet. I also picked up a can of their regular sardines in olive oil, and hope they are just as impressive.

Main Takeaways

Supremely tender
Comparable to pricier competitors
Shouldn't have waited to pull the trigger on these

Slightly higher at Amazon, but still worth it if you don't have a local source.

Brand: Conservas Portugal Norte / Porthos
Description: Spiced sardines in olive oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $6

Ramón Peña Sardinas Guisadas – “Xoubas”

DeenLeave a comment

The translation of Ramón Peña Sardinas Guisadas - "Xoubas" is, roughly, "stewed small sardines". Guisada means cooked in sauce or stewed. Xoubas is Galician slang for small sardines. In this case, according to the Ramon Peña website, the small sardines are floured, fried in olive oil, then canned covered in a traditional stew of tomato, onion and red pepper.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

This is interesting. Most times, additional seasonings are placed in the can before the fish, then the can is topped up with oil. The appearance here is that the sardines have been cooked a little differently, not just steamed. The aroma is vegetal, like that of a long-simmered vegetable soup. Digging in, the fish have a bit of a roughened exterior, but with some skin left on.

Dumping them out over rice seemed like the prudent mode of consumption. There are five fish in the can, its bit of extra depth accommodating both the "stew" and a little more fish. The carton doesn't specify, but they are obviously pilchards. Again, I forgot to dissect a fish to see what the bones/spine situation was, but the unique cooking process rendered any skeletal parts that may have been there undetectable.

These were tasty, the fish very tender. The sauce complemented them well. They were a bit spendy, but I'd recommend them.

Main Takeaways

Unusual preparation
Kind of a tinned fish comfort food
Price makes a re-purchase uncertain

See Ramón Peña at Amazon.

Brand: Ramón Peña
Description: Small sardines, stewed
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4 oz.
Price Range: $9-10

Freshé Provence Nicoise Tuna Meal

DeenLeave a comment

This Freshé Provence Nicoise Tuna Meal is one of a handful offered by EcoFish, who also market the Henry & Lisa's sardines. It's in the same vein as the Patagonia Provisions Sardines & Beans, intended to be an all-in-one, quick, on-the-go meal. Freshé calls theirs "gourmet meals", and there are currently four tuna and two salmon based varieties.

Initial impression upon opening the can: Where's the fish?

All the "meal" ingredients are on top. It looked a little gloppy at first, so I "tossed" the toppings a bit for the photo. The fish is in a single layer underneath it all. The aroma is vinegary, briny, not fishy at all. The list includes potato, red bell pepper, green beans, olives, garlic, red wine vinegar and skipjack tuna.

While flavorful, the dressing, for lack of a better word, is the primary taste. It has a tendency to overpower the remaining ingredients. And, since it has marinated the fish in the bottom of the can, the taste of the tuna is almost indiscernible.

I guess this would be fine to throw a couple of cans in the backpack for a hike, or to take the edge off until the next meal stop on a road trip.

Main Takeaways

A kitchen sink of ingredients
Overpowering dressing masks tuna flavor
Might do in a pinch as a shelf-stable back up

This was around $4 at Walmart. They are not competitively priced at Amazon.

Brand: EcoFish, Inc. / Freshé
Description: Tuna meal
Species: Skipjack
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27?
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.75 oz.
Price Range: $4-5

King Oscar Brisling Sardines in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

Going back to basics for a moment with these King Oscar Brisling Sardines in Olive Oil. Besides their Skinless Boneless pilchards, these are the least embellished fish in their range of products.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

They would have looked better if some skin hadn't stuck to the lid. But they are nicely packed as one would expect of a producer of better quality tinned fish, like KO. The aroma of the olive oil is there, along with a mild fish scent. Extracting fish from the can, they lift out whole for the most part. There were the 8 on top, plus seven slightly less pretty ones underneath, in keeping with the two-layer notation.

As with other KO brisling offerings, they are packaged in a cellophane overwrap rather than a cardboard carton. Over time, the wording on this SKU has changed from saying "12-22 fish" to just "12+ fish".

Tasting them, I note there isn't much evidence of the "lightly smoked", which is described in the ingredients, but not prominently promoted otherwise. The fish are clean-tasting and tender, and the tails are soft, not prickly. Although catch area is not specified, they are packed in Poland, so one could assume FAO27 (Northeast Atlantic). These are of the quality one would expect from King Oscar.

Main Takeaways

Two full layers, not just a few hiding under the many
Smoke is MIA
Still a top quality brisling

These were from Walmart, where they were inexplicably priced around $3.50. Fortunately, they can be had cheaper, as little as $2.50 or thereabouts, in quantity from Amazon.

Brand: King Oscar
Description: Brisling in Olive Oil
Species: Sprattus sprattus
Country of Origin: Poland
Source: FAO 27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.75 oz.
Price Range: $3-4

Pepus Mussels in Pickled Sauce

DeenLeave a comment

I received these Pepus Mussels in Pickled Sauce a few months back, and am just now getting around to trying them. I typically prefer canned mussels over the more pedestrian and ubiquitous smoked oysters.

Initial impression upon opening the can: Had to wait until I found pliers because the ring broke off.

But, after I did, they look nice. The oil (sunflower) is tinged red with the unnamed spices. I counted over 20 mussels, which was to be expected given the notation "small size" on the carton. The aroma is vinegary. The carton lists wine vinegar. This type of marinade preparation is also referred to as an escabeche.

The flavor of the escabeche is not overpowering in any respect. The vinegar's acidity is mild. Unfortunately, the anonymous spices don't seem to bring too much to the table. The overall impression of the "pickled sauce" is a subdued Salsa Espinaler. This makes sense, as the Pepus label is Espinaler's entry level offering. Still, these were over $7. Comparatively, the similar Patagonia Provisions Spicy Mussels sell at a competitive price point, but can occasionally be had on sale for a couple dollars less.

Main Takeaways

Small, meaty mussels
Escabeche preparation not as vinegary as feared
Pricey as mussels go

Brand: Espinaler / Pepus
Description: Mussels in pickled sauce
Species: N/S
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4 oz.
Price Range: $7-8

Wild Planet Skinless & Boneless Sardines

DeenLeave a comment

Trying these to round out my recent tastings of several Wild Planet cans. Officially described as Wild Planet Sardines Skinless & Boneless Fillets in EVOO. These are priced competitively with the King Oscar.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

We have four substantial pilchards in EVOO. There is no overt aroma of anything. Digging in, they are packed tight enough to make extracting a whole fillet impossible. The flavor is mild, kind of bland, and a bit on the dry side.

The taste of the oil is neutral, maybe a little bit peppery. I had hoped, being listed as organic EVOO, it might have brought more to the table. It also could have benefited by a pinch more salt.

To be honest, I have become reluctant to try to solve the shortcomings of bland fish by recurrently hitting them with dashes of Salsa Espinaler. In such cases, it often becomes all you can taste, sort of like putting cranberry sauce on white meat turkey.

Anyway, at $3 a can, these are decent enough. They might fare better included as a protein in a salad, where the fish, a dressing and other components can complement each other.

I am curious as to why, when Wild Planet can source these pilchards from Morocco, they choose to source their sardines with lemon as a Northwest Pacific species from Thailand.

Main Takeaways

Not our favorite boneless skinless pilchard
Unexpectedly bland
Cheap enough to consider using as an ingredient, rather than for consumption alone

See Wild Planet at Amazon.

Brand: Wild Planet
Description: Sardines skinless & boneless in EVOO
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.25 oz.
Price Range: $3