Deen, Author at Sardeenz!

JOSÉ Gourmet Small Sardines in EVOO

These JOSÉ Gourmet Small Sardines in EVOO came from Caputo's. I had tried several varieties, and wanted to get a sense of just plain sardines in EVOO by them. I had already had the even smaller ones in the "crosspack" configuration.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nice braided packing, silvery bellies up. Only a few spots of roughed up skin. I see no scales, tails, nor fins. There's a fish aroma that's only a little stronger that which I've some to expect. An initial sip of the EVOO is unrevealing.

Let's Eat

The fish are reasonably firm, and extract from the tin mostly intact. There are six fish total. Small, yes, but I've had other tins with a six count (or more) that weren't touted as being a premium small size.

I note the EVOO has a dark, almost amber color, not the golden green I'm used to seeing. Tasting it a second time, it has none of the flavor notes I've come to expect from a good extra-virgin olive oil. I poured about half of what was left in the tin over the fish and rice anyway.

Digging in, they are tender, but a tad dry on the palate. I also note a lack of salt, which, together with the lackluster EVOO, is making for a rather bland experience. Disappointing. I also note verbiage by both the vendor and the producer on the vendor's website touting these as being smoked. Neither my palate nor the carton corroborate this claim.

About halfway through, I pulled out my new jar of MW Polar Crunchy Black Garlic Chili Crisp, which made a measurable improvement.

Main Takeaways

Tender pilchards, if a tad dry
Bland flavor, fish and EVOO
Needed salt

This wasn't the experience I was expecting or had hoped for. JOSÉ Gourmet has been consistently good in the past, but I guess every tin can't be a solid winner.

Brand: 100 Misterios / JOSÉ Gourmet
Description: Small Sardines in EVOO
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.2 oz.
Price Range: $9

Brunswick Sardines in Soybean Oil

DeenLeave a comment

These Brunswick Sardines in Soybean Oil came from Walmart. A recent store reset moved the tinned fish to a different aisle. Store resets are usually when new items are slotted in, and I didn't remember seeing these there before. They may have been stocked previously, but the entire section at all three local Walmarts has been seriously neglected in recent months. This tin was the only one of its kind on the shelf. At $1.24, it was worth a try.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

The aroma is fishy. Not in a terrible way, but a little stronger than that to which I am accustomed. I see no scales and just a few pelvic fins. The tin is non-specific as to species, and I'm not quite sure what these are. Product of Poland implies Baltic Sea, and by association would most likely mean sprats. But these don't look like sprats.

Digging In

I had already had lunch, but was eager to see what these were about. So, I instead chose to have them as a snack.

The first thing I noticed was how the flesh is pale, almost white, so no pilchards here. The first bite revealed a bit more. The meat is quite tender, with a mild flavor, so I'm now thinking herring. Usually, herring standing in for sardines is skinless boneless fillets from a much larger fish.

As I worked my way through the tin, I noted some of the individual fish differed texturally from the others. Some were a bit mushy, like overcooked catfish.

The smoke flavor is there, but it's not doing any great service to the fish. The soybean oil in this instance is also, well, just a bit meh... I also thought they could have used a bit more salt. If the nutritional information matches that of the Brunswick website, sodium is a moderate 340mg. The website also confirms the species as herring.

Overall, I don't feel too put out over spending the $1.24. At least you and I both now know what we're getting with this rather pedestrian tin of fish.

Main Takeaways

Mild, tender fish
Inconsistent texture
Smoke and salt lacking

Brand: Bumble Bee Seafoods/Brunswick
Description: Sardines in soybean oil
Species: Herring
Country of Origin: Poland
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.75 oz.
Price Range: $1-2

Fishwife Smoked Salmon

DeenLeave a comment

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

DeenLeave a comment

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

DeenLeave a comment

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

DeenLeave a comment

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

DeenLeave a comment

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