October 2025 - Sardeenz!

Minerva Limited Edition Sardines with Lemon & Thyme

These Minerva Limited Edition Sardines with Lemon & Thyme came with that initial order from International Loft. I hadn't encountered this particular flavor combination anywhere before. It sounded intriguing. So was the notion of a limited edition. I hoped both together would make for something special.

They are nicely packaged, in a style befitting a premium offering. The can is wrapped in a glossy black paper, then slipped into a sleeve adorned with metallic red and gold graphics.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

The aroma of the thyme hits you immediately. A sip of the oil is heavy with the flavor of the thyme. The lemon is there, but fighting to peek through. Three big pilchards. I'd hoped they would be smaller, as that usually means a fresher tasting, more tender fish. Ultimately, it wasn't a factor.

Let's Get Into It

Trying to pull fish intact from the can is difficult. They are very tender. An initial bite is melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The little bit of thyme seen in the photo belies the actual content. Underneath, there is a serious amount of thyme, like maybe as much as a half teaspoon (or more?). The olive oil is not listed as EVOO, but is of high quality.

I managed to get them out over rice largely intact. The skin peeled away at the slightest touch. I was surprised to see a few scales.

I poured the rest of the can contents over the fish, wanting to get the full experience. In retrospect, I should have left some (read: most) of the thyme in the can.

As I worked my way through, I noted the lemon still managing to make its presence known. Even through all that thyme, I could taste hints of both the pulp and zest.

I also thought a little more salt might have been in order. It has a way of accentuating other flavors, particularly citrus. Best I can tell, it was a relatively low 107mg.

Main Takeaways

Tender, tasty fish, even though larger than my preference
Too much thyme for the lemon to really shine through
Not enough salt

If I buy these again, I'll definitely leave the excess thyme in the can. The amount included wasn't necessary, and might have actually been a negative, all things considered.

Brand: A Poveira/MInerva
Description: Limited Edition Sardines in Olive Oil w/Lemon & Thyme
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.25 oz.
Price Range: $8

Briosa Gourmet Spiced Sardines

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These Briosa Gourmet Spiced Sardines came with my first order from International Loft. I had not encountered the brand before at any of my usual local or online sources. I was looking forward to giving them a try.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nice looking fish. Packed silvery belly side up. Four stocky pilchards. The oil is tinted a coppery orange from the pepper. A few scales, but not enough to complain about. The can is a deep one, and the net weight is a generous 4.2 oz.

Not too much in the way of aroma coming from the can. A sip of the oil gives hints of the spices and a subtle amount of heat. They are packed in olive oil, which is apparently of good quality, even if not listed as EVOO. Packed in tight, too. It was difficult to get an entire fish out of the can intact. They were quite tender.

A first taste of the fish is impressive. Everything seems in balance, from the fresh sardine flavor to the spices, to the amount of salt. All spot on. Underneath, there's a pickle slice, the obligatory paper-thin sliver of carrot, and a chili pepper about two inches long. I taste clove, listed on the wrapper, but there doesn't seem to be one in the can. No bay leaf, but I didn't miss it.

If I had any complaint, it would be that the fish, while very tender, was a tad dry. But it didn't stop me from finishing the can.

Examining the wrapper, I see Briosa Gourmet is under the Conservas Portugal Norte umbrella, along with Porthos. Looking back at my review of the Porthos Spiced Sardines, I note they have quite a bit in common. These Briosa, however, were about 25% cheaper. I'd buy them again.

Brand: Conservas Portugal Norte / Briosa Gourmet
Description: Spiced sardines in olive oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $4-5

More Tins Incoming

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Latest order of tinned fish just arrived. From a new (to me) vendor, International Loft. Some cans from brands I haven't tried before. Click on the photo to see what I got.

Fishwife Sardines with Hot Pepper

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I picked up these Fishwife Sardines with Hot Pepper at Whole Foods the last time they were on sale there. I've worked my way through about half their catalog of tinned fish so far. I wanted to see how they compared to the version with preserved lemon. Let's see how these are.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Another of those tough to open cans. These look really nice. Silvery skin with no scales apparent. They still have their pelvic fins, which normally aren't prickly, so they don't present a problem. The aroma is of a very fresh sardine. A sip of the EVOO is neutral until the pepper sneaks up at the back of the throat. The pepper has a different note than the usual piri-piri I'm used to. The carton just says "hot pepper".

A small taste finds the pepper's heat hasn't really translated to the fish. Nonetheless, they are reasonably firm yet tender, and have a really good sardine flavor.

Let's Eat

There were four stocky pilchards. One I ate by itself to get a sense of the quality. They resisted being pried from the can, so they got a little roughed up.

Out over rice, there's the pepper. It doesn't look any different than what you find in most cans of spicy sardines. I also poured about half the oil remaining in the can over all of it. I figured it would be the best chance of maximizing the hot pepper experience.

Working through it, the pepper level was steady, and didn't become fatiguing. The meat on these is tender and not dry at all. The salt level was OK. It seemed less than the average 340mg. listed, though.

Main Takeaways

Top quality sardine, hot pepper or no
Initial impression was of possibly more heat than necessary, but didn't turn out to be the case
Spendy, but a bargain if found on sale

Reasonably priced at Amazon, but only in a 4-pack assortment.

Brand: Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co.
Description: Sardines with hot pepper
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $8

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Chicken of the Sea Sardines Mediterranean Style

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I got these Chicken of the Sea Sardines Mediterranean Style at a supermarket a good while ago, and had largely forgotten about them. Probably because I had too many better cans to try. Anyway, it's good to keep trying tins from all price ranges because, for better or worse, you never know what you might find.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.7/5.

Visually, not bad, not bad at all. A little roughed up skin, but not a totally haphazard packing. They are sprats, and I wonder if I'll ever come across a can packed with herring instead, as the label indicates I might.

Not really any distinctive aroma coming through. A sip of the oil, listed primarily as soybean, has only the most subtle hint of the seasonings. There do appear, however, to be a reasonable amount of olive slices and a lesser amount of finely chopped seasonings. EVOO is further down the ingredient list, and I wondered if it was only there courtesy of the olives.

Digging In

"Digging in" is apropos, as they are quite tender. I couldn't get a single fish out of the can without it totally falling apart. I wouldn't characterize them as mushy (or maybe I would), but I would have preferred a good deal more firmness.

Far down the ingredient list is smoke flavor, but I didn't detect it. The salt level was just about right, but I wondered if the olives had more to do with it than the intentional addition of salt. I looked for sodium content on the label, but only just now realized they don't list any nutritional info. You are given a phone number to call to get it from there. As if... Their website says 400mg.

There were about 8 decent size sprats total. By the time I reached the last 10% of the contents, all I had left were a few olive slices and a small pile of sardine debris equal to about one sprat's worth of meat.

Main Takeaways

The presentation was a little better than the other Chicken of the Sea sardines I've tried to date
Too "fall apart-y"
The overall flavor was OK, but missing any hint of smokiness promised

Parting Thoughts

This was the last of three cans purchased to assess Chicken of the Sea flavored varieties, including those in lemon sauce and in Louisiana hot sauce. Looking back, my experience with and opinion of the Mediterranean style and the lemon sauce version was virtually the same. The hot sauce version, I thought, was the best of the three.

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

Fishwife Smoked Rainbow Trout

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I've tried a few different tinned trout recently, some smoked, with mix results. I hoped this Fishwife Smoked Rainbow Trout would be the breakthrough I was looking for.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

Examples of this product I've seen before had a more impressive look. Authentically smoked fish, particularly that with a darker flesh, usually exhibits a mahogany hue after smoking. (See Fishwife Slow Smoked Mackerel.) This one looks a little pale by comparison. The initial aroma is smoky, and I find it neither too subtle nor overpowering. A sip of the oil has a similar note.

The can is packed reasonably full. The pieces of fillet appear to be skinless. We'll have to wait until it's out of the can to see what's on the other side.

A nibble of fish is promising. The smoke flavor seems spot on, and so does the salt level. I'm having trouble not just eating it all right from the can.

Let's Do Lunch

I flipped the can contents out, liquid and all, over some hot rice. I was expecting to maybe see skin, but no. There are a lot of what look like grate marks, so apparently the skin had been removed before it was smoked. Or perhaps they're the result of some automated skin removal process.

As I worked my way through the bowl, the saltiness was becoming increasingly more noticeable, even though the package lists a reasonably low to moderate 180mg. The smoke, by contrast, continued to remain pleasant on the palate.

Don't get me wrong, the salt level wasn't terrible. But, if I were to put some kind of condiment on it, or use it in a dish, I'd have to make a conscious effort to minimize any additional salt. Otherwise, it would just blow away any flavor of the fish.

Final Thoughts

Not the prettiest can of smoked fish, but the flavor quality is there
Nice smoke level stays in its lane, lets the flavor of the fish show through
A little spendy, but smoked trout at half the price is usually less than half the quality

$10 at Amazon was the best price available among my usual sources.

Brand: Fishwife
Description: Smoked rainbow trout
Species: Rainbow trout
Country of Origin: Denmark
Source: FAO N/S Farm raised
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.7 oz.
Price Range: $10-12

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Cole’s Patagonian Smoked Salmon

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I grabbed this can of Cole's Patagonian Smoked Salmon in Extra Virgin Olive Oil during a trip to Walmart a couple of months ago, and am just now getting around to trying it. It was a little spendier than even their smoked rainbow trout, so I hoped I wouldn't be disappointed.

Initial impression upon opening the can: Disappointing.

I didn't know quite what to expect, but had hoped it would look better than this. The appearance is of an amorphous, pink hunk of something that might be fish. A sip of the oil provides a hint of smokiness. Again, as with their smoked trout, it promises "an aromatic Applewood blend". I wasn't getting it.

I broke off a small bit to give an initial taste. It had a hint of smoke, a mild taste and a soft texture. I thought it needed a bit more salt. Blindfolded, I'm not sure I could have told you what kind of fish it was. Don't get me wrong, at this price point I don't expect Wildfish Cannery or Fishwife levels of smoked salmon, but maybe something a little closer in taste and appearance to a fresh salmon fillet.

Diving In

Plopped out over rice, it barely broke apart. The milky white stuff is apparently fat that had exuded out into the bottom of the can. I'm used to this from cooking fresh salmon.

Soldiering on, it didn't improve much, so it was time to make the best of it and experiment.

I had just obtained a jar of S&B Crunchy Garlic in Chili Oil, the spicy version, as part of my deep dive into comparing chili crisp toppings.

I tried to be fair to the fish and not overpower it with this new, higher octane condiment. To that end, I applied it only very sparingly. It did make a minor improvement, I think more from the added salt and umami, which the fish by itself was lacking.

Anyway, another one taken for the team. I wish it had been better news.

Main Takeaways

Visually unappealing
Promised premium-quality smoke flavor undelivered
Lacked salt

Brand: Cole's Seafood
Description: Patagonian Smoked Salmon in EVOO
Species: Farm-raised salmon
Country of Origin: Chile
Source: FAO N/A
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.2 oz.
Price Range: $5-6