September 2025 - Page 3 of 3

Nice Cans Sardines with Rosemary and Fennel

Received these Nice Cans Sardines with Rosemary and Fennel with a recent online order. Nice Cans is under the 100 Misterios umbrella along with Jose Gourmet, Ati Manel, ABC+ and Maria Organic. This selection is one of only three in their limited range of sardine offerings.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

The photo really doesn't do them justice. Really nice appearance. A golden-green hue to the oil. Bright, shiny skin; no scales to be found. There is a subtle aroma of rosemary emanating from the can. A sip of the oil echoes the aroma.

Picking one from the can to try solo, it is supremely tender. The fennel is there, but in the background. Not really getting any of the black pepper.

Dumping the remainder (oil and all) over rice, the fennel seeds appear, but still not much in the way of black pepper.

The description is confusing, the carton reading "fennel pepper", but the ingredients list fennel seed and black pepper.

Nonetheless, these are some top-notch sardines, 5-to-the-can size as is my preference. The seasonings are subtle yet well-balanced against each other, although the rosemary is the most forward.

Main Takeaways

Beautiful fish
Tenderness off the chart
Pepper is MIA, but it didn't matter

Brand: 100 Misterios / Nice Cans
Description: Sardines with rosemary and fennel seed
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $10

Caputo’s Market & Deli

DeenLeave a comment

I've placed a handful of orders from Caputo's Market & Deli over the last several months. Among their wide variety of esoteric offerings is a substantial selection of tinned seafood from a number of highly-regarded brands.

I've been impressed each time with the attention and care given to packing orders for shipment. When necessary, over-packing, really. A small order of a few cans may come heavily wrapped in expanded kraft paper in a padded postal pouch. A larger order, such as one including several cans and a large bottle of Salsa Espinaler, arrived generously padded in a one cubic foot size box.

This last order was a baker's half dozen of sardines, tuna, and garfish that I hadn't tried before. Within the padded pouch was this custom-printed carton.

Inside was my order of seven cans.

I got some Ati Manel Sardines with Lemon, Ati Manel Garfish in Spiced Olive Oil, Maria Organic Tuna in Brine with Thyme & Lemon, and Wildfish Cannery Smoked Coho Salmon.

Underneath were JOSE Gourmet Small Smoked Sardines in Olive Oil, Fangst Brisling No. 4 Spiced with Allspice and Cloves, and some Nice Cans Sardines with Rosemary and Fennel.

All the choices represented something unusual, or some that I hadn't tried before.

And, a big plus is the fact that tinned fish orders ship for free. www.caputos.com

Porthos Sardines in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I purchased these Porthos Sardines in Olive Oil at the same time as a tin of their spiced version. Those, as you may recall, I thought were quite good. I like to try unseasoned versions to see if the quality of the fish stands on its own.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nice looking fish. 5 pilchards to the can is always a plus for me, size-wise. Not evident from the photo, but the olive oil has a rich, greenish golden hue.

The fish lift from the can intact. No scales noted. The meat is tender, not dry at all. It may be my imagination, but I think I detected a subtle note of spice. The ingredients list none, nor are any evident in the can. But the oil does have a distinct, pleasant (vegetal? grassy?) aroma, not related to the fish, which are very clean-tasting. If concocting a dish using these sardines, it would be a sin to waste this olive oil.

Overall, these did confirm my assumptions of quality, but I think any re-buy would have to be the spiced version.

Main Takeaways

Great looking, tender fish
Top notch olive oil
Expected Porthos quality

Reasonably priced in a 3-pack at Amazon.

Brand: Conservas Portugal Norte / Porthos
Description: 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

Ortiz El Velero Sardines in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

These Ortiz El Velero Sardines in Olive Oil are from recent trip to World Market. I've tried their Bonito del Norte tuna, and wanted to see if that quality translated to their sardines. "El Velero" (the sailboat) seems to appear on most all their products, so it doesn't appear germane to these sardines.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

These were relatively nice looking, but larger than I prefer. Yes, those are pelvic fins. Good quality olive oil filling the can. Clean fish aroma. The can says "traditional recipe", but I don't know what that means, we're just talking fish, oil and salt here.

Prying a fish out, it is firm enough to lift out whole. A big first bite reveals they are quite tender. The salt level is just right, perceptible but not overpowering. Some scales, but not enough to complain about. Still, I wanted to spice them up a bit, so I added a few drops of Valentina, a not-very-hot hot sauce.

I don't know if these are a re-buy for me, but if you like bigger pilchards, the quality is there in spades.

Some sites call these "Old Style", an apparent reference to the "A La Antigua" designation on the Spanish language cans which apparently have the same UPC code.

Main Takeaways

Big, firm pilchards
Tender nonetheless
Good salt balance

Well-priced in quantities of four at Amazon.

Brand: Conservas Ortiz
Description: Sardines in olive oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.93 oz.
Price Range: $6-7

Scout Rainbow Trout with Dill

DeenLeave a comment

I picked up this Scout Rainbow Trout with Dill on sale at Whole Foods. I often look at supermarket variety tinned trout, but pass it by, assuming I'll be disappointed. This more premium offering being at a relatively bargain price made me go ahead and pull the trigger.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

I didn't really get too much aroma from the dill, although it appeared plentiful in the can and on the fish. Digging around, the meat is flaky and tender. A first taste found the seasoning mild, not overpowering.

I dumped it out over some hot rice, hoping the dill flavor would "bloom" a bit, but it didn't.

One might be tempted to characterize the fish as being dry, but I think it's just the nature of the beast, it's not an oily fish. The ingredients list sunflower oil, but it didn't really impact the mouthfeel.

I thought what was missing was some brightness to the seasoning. The fish has no strong flavor of its own, and the dill is only mildly herbaceous. A little more salt may have helped as well. What it really needed, I thought, was a shot of fresh lemon juice that I didn't have on hand. I'd be willing to buy another can to test that theory.

Main Takeaways

Not much dill flavor for that much dill
Tender, flaky meat
Needed something to brighten up lackluster seasoning

Not competitively priced at Amazon.

Brand: Scout Canning
Description: Rainbow trout with dill
Species: Rainbow trout
Country of Origin: Canada
Source: Twin Falls, ID
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.2 oz.
Price Range: $8

La Narval Small Sardines in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I got these La Narval Small Sardines in Olive Oil mainly because my experience so far with the brand has been good. Also, because they're pilchards, and they're designated as small on the package. Seems like they should be an all-around win in my book.

Initial impression upon opening the can: False advertising?

Where are my small sardines? Four sizeable pilchards visible. But wait. There are four more underneath. The tin is one of those deeper ones, so that explains that. OK, so that's eight, but that's still not what I call small. Anyhow, they look nice, even if I was expecting something else.

Digging in, they are soft enough to want to break apart pulling them from the can. The meat is very tender, but quite bland. There are also more scales than I would expect at this price point. Additionally, there are a few tails as well. I don't expect that of pilchards at any price point.

A sip of the oil didn't impress. I thought they could use more salt, so I added some. A little pinch of coarse kosher improved things slightly. Overall, the fish were just OK, but disappointing that they were not cleaner, smaller and more numerous.

The carton says product of Spain, but also Mediterranean, so I assume the catch area is there and not FAO27.

Main Takeaways

Eight count on the fish, but not really small
Tender but bland
Needed more salt

Brand: Don Gastronom/La Narval
Description: Small sardines in olive oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4 oz.
Price Range: $6-7