These Angelo Parodi Sardines in Olive Oil came with an order from International Loft a few months ago. I had already tried their spicy sardines, and found them very good. I wanted to see if these plain pilchards would stand on their own. Some packages seen call them Portugese Sardines, either in English or Portugese.
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.
Not nearly as impressive as the spicy ones were. There's not really much in the way of an aroma, just some slight fishiness, but not in a bad way. A sip of the oil is neutral. It's not EVOO, so not really surprising.
There appear to be four sizeable pilchards, all a bit ragged-looking, with some bones peering from the cavity opening. Some scales evident. Also, some pelvic fins, and on one, a tail. There are specks of something I suspect might be a little dirt. An initial bite is a bit bland, but the sardine flavor is fresh.
Let's Proceed
I'm surprised how pedestrian these look compared to the spicy ones, which were nicely packed and in virtually pristine condition.
Digging in, I found them tender and moist. The sodium level is listed as 420mg, but the taste is of far less salt.
Still, on the palate they are a meaty sardine, appearances aside.
When I got to the last fish, I broke out a little chili crisp to season it up, and that bit of extra saltiness was an improvement.
Main Takeaways
- Not the prettiest pilchards
- Moist, tender and meaty fish
- Good flavor once you get past the looks
I have three more tins of these I got from Home Goods. They certainly will be from a different lot, so the possibility exists this tin was an anomaly, appearance-wise. I'll update once I try them, either way.
Update
It's only a week later, but I wanted to do this follow-up sooner than later, while the first tin was still fresh in my mind.
Initial impression upon opening (2nd) can: 4.8/5.
These were a little cleaner looking, and not quite as torn up. Four fish again. This time they came out of the can mostly intact. The aroma and taste of the oil were about the same as the first can.
These were stuffed in the can so tight they assumed a blocky, squared-off shape. As before, there were pelvic fins and a few scales.
The flavor and texture were comparable to the first can. Still a tad low on salt, but a good, fresh sardine taste.
I think the difference between the two tins is minimal, mainly cosmetic, and could be chalked up to normal variation in whatever fish or whoever was canning them on each particular day. The "best by" dates on the two were little more than a month apart. While we'd like to always see beautiful silvery bellies with no scales, the reality is that it's not going to happen 100% of the time. The bigger question for me is, why does Home Goods have product labeled with fresher dating than a normal vendor?
Brand: Angel Parodi
Description: Sardines in Olive Oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.23 oz.
Price Range: $4