April 2026 - Sardeenz!

Fishwife Smoked Salmon

I picked up this Fishwife Smoked Salmon at Whole Foods, where it is currently on sale at 30% off for Amazon Prime members. That brought the sticker shock $11.99 price down to $8.38.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4/5.

Initial impression is usually based on appearance, things like scales, fins, aroma. Fractions of points added or removed for each. It's very disappointing when points taken off are the result of glaringly empty space.

I mean, really. If you were a new customer to a highly-promoted brand, and paid $12 for a tin of smoked salmon packed only 75% full, what would you think? It would leave a bad taste in your mouth, even before the first bite. "Sold by weight, not volume", yeah, I get it, but I reserve the right to expect a far better OOBE at this price point.

Moving on. The aroma is subtly smoky. The appearance is not as dark as with some tinned smoked salmons, but the coloration suggests the promise of it having been "slow smoked over beechwood". The olive oil is neutral, and not being EVOO, I expect is basically just preserving moisture.

Let's Try It

I placed the fish over a bowl of rice. Being there was a copious amount of oil left in the tin, I poured only about a tablespoon's worth over everything.

The meat is tender and moist with a well-balanced contribution from the smoke. The smoke not overpowering the flavor of the fish is always a plus.

The fish is not as al dente as other premium smoked salmons usually seen packaged in small round tins, including those from Fishwife. The texture is flaky and it's cooked just right.

Sodium is listed at an above average 670mg, but it doesn't taste that salty. The level was just about right, in my estimation.

Main Takeaways

Flavorful, tender salmon
Good smoke balance
OOBE disappointing

Brand: Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co.
Description: Smoked Salmon
Species: Atlantic salmon
Country of Origin: Norway (processed in Denmark)
Source: Farmed
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.7 oz.
Price Range: $12

Alshark Moroccan Sardines in Olive Oil

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These Alshark Moroccan Sardines in Olive Oil came from a local Middle Eastern market. They were a new item since last I visited. Google Lens translates some of the Arabic verbiage to reveal the name is really "Al Sharq". Labeled "Lightly-smoked sardines in olive oil", I was intrigued, as so few pilchards come out of Morocco smoked. For $2.69, it didn't seem I could go wrong.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

Looks to be a good count, at least five. Packing not so pretty. Dark dorsal side up. Scales, or is that just loose skin? I see no tails, but there are dorsal fins, quite unusual.

The aroma is stronger than usual of fish, but not in a bad way. There is also a hint of the aforementioned smoke. A sip of the olive oil doesn't reveal much, but also tastes faintly of smoke. The carton doesn't specify how the smoke flavor is achieved, so we'll assume smoked means smoked, not just flavored.

Here We Go

Lifting them out of the tin to put over rice, they are slightly inclined to break apart. As I do so, I'm having trouble deciding if what's being dislodged by my fork is just skin or sheets of scales. I'm hoping for the former.

I also note several hair-like pin bones loose about the fish. I'm not worrying about ingesting them, but their presence is off-putting.

I poured about a tablespoon of the oil left in the tin over everything, trying to avoid any of the debris left floating in it.

Digging in, the fish are tender and moist. No dryness, no mushiness. Whether scales or skin, I was surprisingly unbothered by anything unwelcome sticking to the roof of my mouth.

The smoke has been judiciously applied. It's complementing the flavor of the fish nicely. Overall, the non-visual portion of the experience has been quite good.

Main Takeaways

Moist, tender fish
Balanced smoke
Dim the lights or close your eyes while consuming

While I applaud the flavor, texture and smoke, I'm having a hard time forgiving the lackadaisical approach to processing. I doubt I'll be returning to these any time soon. Perhaps, in time, they will up their game on fish cleaning protocols.

Brand: Alshark (Al Sharq) / Baroody Imports, NJ
Description: Sardines in Olive Oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.38 oz.
Price Range: $2-3

Ati Manel Sardines in Olive Oil

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These Ati Manel Sardines in Olive Oil came from Caputo's. I've been down the spicy and tomato-sauced sardine rabbit hole for a while now, and decided it was time to get back to basics: just some good sardines in a good olive oil.

Two demerits to Caputo's for sending out a dented carton without inspecting the tin for damage. The can was dented as well, but the seal appeared uncompromised, and no leakage detected. The shipping carton was not dented.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

Some nice looking sardines, although the skins are a bit roughed up. The aroma from the tin is largely neutral, with only a whiff of sardine aroma. A sip of the oil is about the same. I see no scales, fins or tails.

Digging In

Lifting them from the tin, I can feel they're going to be tender, even though they're not falling apart. There are six fish total, a good size for the most tender and flavorful pilchards.

Placing them over rice, I poured about half of the olive oil remaining in the tin over everything, trying to avoid the loose pieces of skin left floating in it.

The fish yield to the pierce of a fork easily, and on the palate are even more tender than expected. Quite moist as well.

If there's any complaint (other than the dented can), it would be the lack of salt. The carton lists 480mg. sodium, but it feels like far less. For the last fish, I added a scant teaspoon of Chef Troy's Crunchy Garlic Chili Sauce, and that perked thing up significantly.

Main Takeaways

Tender, moist fish
Fresh sardine flavor
Needed some salt

See Ati Manel at Amazon.

Brand: 100 Misterios / Ati Manel
Description: 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: $7

Wild Planet Skipjack Tuna with Dill Pickle

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I got this Wild Planet Skipjack Tuna with Dill Pickle at Whole Foods about three months ago. It was on sale and inexpensive enough to spend the just over $2 to see what it was about.

It's a small can, 3 ounces and only about 2-1/2" across. It has the foil top with a pull tab, so no fiddling with a pull ring and sharp edges. I had a big bowl of noodles and chili oil for lunch, but was still craving a little protein, and this seemed like it would fill the bill.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

Looks like some typical canned tuna. The aroma is a little fresher, not as fishy as one would expect as with a supermarket variety canned tuna. I also get a whiff of the pickle, of which only small specks can be seen.

I just ate it right from the can. As I dug down, there were some larger pieces of pickle. The pickle is not too acidic and is just a little sweet, not overshadowing the tuna flavor. But what it does do is offset the inherent tuna "tang".

It's packed in water, but not an excessive amount, so you're basically paying for tuna and pickle, not a bunch of liquid to just drain off. And I didn't feel compelled to drain anything. There's just enough liquid to keep things from feeling dry on the palate.

I could see this being a convenient way to make a quick tuna salad sandwich. Some toast, a little mayo. Maybe a dash of hot sauce. You could make it up right there on the bread.

Main Takeaways

Tasty skipjack tuna
Good balance of pickle and flavor
No-drain contents

Brand: Wild Planet
Description: Skipjack tuna with dill pickle
Species: Katsuwonus pelamis
Country of Origin: Thailand
Source: FAO61, Northwest Pacific
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3 oz.
Price Range: $2-3

Pollastrini Spicy Sardines Revisited

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I'm not sure why I bought this second can of Pollastrini Spicy Sardines. Maybe I thought I was re-buying another brand I liked. Or perhaps it was because the vendor was having a sale, and the one additional can put me over the amount for free shipping. Looking back, the first time I tried this particular tin, I thought the fish were good, but the spicy part was lacking. Anyway, it ended up being an opportunity for redemption.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

They look pretty much the same as the last time, one exception being far more peppers. The first can had only three, whereas this one has at least seven visible. As before, and as with other Italian sardines, they are pilchards with tail left on. I see a few fins.

The aroma is of fresh fish. A sip of the olive oil has a little heat, perhaps more than I recall from the first tin.

Let's Eat

There are eight fish total, one more than last time. I am impressed by canneries that are able put more fish in smaller tins than the competition.

The fish lift out of the tin mostly intact. Dividing them with a fork, they are quite tender.

On the palate, the extra peppers have done their duty, infusing the fish with an even, moderate heat and spice. The meat is satisfyingly tender. I didn't find them too salty, even though the label lists 550mg. sodium.

Main Takeaways

Tender, flavorful fish
Good spice and heat from the peppers
Don't judge a brand by just one tin

I'm glad I bought these again, and intend to in the future. Hopefully, those will match these.

One More Thing

All the Pollastrini tins I received on this last order had this label on them. I was confused about why a tin from Italy would have labeling indicating sourcing from Croatia. I reached out to the vendor for clarification, but have not received a response.

Croatia is closer to Italy than most people probably realize. If not for a finger of Slovenia reaching out to the sea between them, the two would share a border. Croatia lies directly east of Italy, across the Adriatic Sea, with as little as 53 miles between them at one point. My assumption is that circumstances must sometimes require additional processing capability, and a Croatian cannery steps in to fill the need. Or perhaps boats are making catches destined for Pollastrini closer to the Croatian coast, and processing them there makes more logistical sense.

You can see from this particular can, that the tin itself bears cannery codes from both Italy and Croatia. What then necessitates the additional label, I'm not sure without removing it. My guess would be, if the tin is printed solely in Italian, that the label is simply providing information in English. But there is verbiage in English visible outside the label. There must be some US requirement the tin lacks but the label fulfills. Who knows?

Brand: Pollastrini
Description: Spicy sardines in olive oil
Species: Clupea pilchardus (Sardina pilchardus)
Country of Origin: Italy/Croatia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $6

Northern Catch Sardines in Hot Sauce v.3

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I wrote a while back about the sardines from Aldi changing from pilchards to sprats. I thought the original in hot sauce, or at least the first version I ever bought, were some pretty good sardines for $1. Those were pilchards from Morocco. The revision containing sprats was sourced from Poland. The worst part wasn't the change of species, but rather that the hot sauce changed from a really good harissa to something rather pedestrian, like what you'd find in any supermarket variety sardines. But, as of Spring 2026, they've changed again. Now, they're Western Pacific Sardinops sagax sourced from Thailand, and I'm calling them Northern Catch Sardines in Hot Sauce v.3.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Surprisingly good appearance. Skin mostly intact. No fins, tails, nor any scales to speak of. The sauce has a deep, vibrant color. The aroma is mildly vinegary. No fishy smell. A sip of the sauce it more tangy than hot.

Let's Eat

There are four husky fish total. They are firm, and came out of the can fairly intact. Once out over the rice, I poured about half of the sauce remaining in the tin over the fish.

The texture on the palate is firm and meaty, but still tender. No dryness to them at all. I usually prefer Northeastern Atlantic pilchards, but there's nothing to complain about here.

Rather than a traditional hot sauce, the sauce reminds me more of Salsa Espinaler, but with a little more body. And that's not a bad thing.

Main Takeaways

Meaty Western Pacific sardines
Moist and tender
Tangy sauce

I'll have to say Aldi just may have redeemed themselves with this change. After the Moroccan pilchards in harissa, the sprats were just ho-hum. These are orders of magnitude better. Let's hope it lasts.

Brand: Aldi/Northern Catch
Description: Sardines in Hot Sauce
Species: Sardinops sagax
Country of Origin: Thailand
Source: FAO61, Western Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.75 oz.
Price Range: $1

Nuri Sardines in Tomato Sauce

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These Nuri Sardines in Tomato Sauce came from International Loft, who imports them directly from Portugal. I've had several Nuri selections so far, and to date, most have not disappointed. Let's see how these are.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Bigger fish than I would prefer, but that's the nature of the game. Some rough skin and a few scales in evidence. The sauce looks moderately thick, and the oil hasn't separated much. Its color is reasonably bright. The aroma is mainly of the fish, with little if any in the way of tomato.

A sip of the sauce is encouraging. It doesn't have an overcooked taste. I can see bits of crushed tomato, also a plus.

Here We Go

There are four big fish total. I initially thought it might only be three, but this is one of those deeper tins. They extract from the can reasonably intact. There are a few scales left floating in the sauce, which I fish out and set aside before pouring everything over the fish and rice.

The first bite is very encouraging. The fish is melt-in-your-mouth tender. No dryness whatsoever. The sauce has a good flavor. Sodium is listed at 500mg, but they taste nowhere near that salty.

Checking the wrapper, I see that, rather than just the typical tomato, oil and salt, the sauce here also contains clove and laurel. They must be in powder form, as I see no solid bits of either.

Main Takeaways

Big, meaty pilchards
Incredibly tender and moist
Flavorful sauce

I was expecting typical Nuri quality, but these exceeded expectations. I usually like my pilchards smaller, but in this case, I should have bought more. Definite re-buy.

Brand: Pinhais/Nuri
Description: Sardines in tomato sauce
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $6