Deen, Author at Sardeenz!

Ati Manel Sardines in Tomato Sauce

These Ati Manel Sardines in Tomato Sauce came with my last Caputo's order. I have gradually become more accustomed to the idea of sardines packed in tomato sauces, and, having had good experiences with this brand in the past, gave them a try.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Some nice looking sardines, not perfect, but not all torn up, either. The oil is tinted an orange-red, and I am assuming the tomato component has separated and is hiding under the fish. The aroma is subtle, and a sip of the oil doesn't really reveal anything about the tomato.

There appear to be five fish, four of medium size and one larger. I don't see anything in the way of scales or fins.

Let's Do Lunch

After placing them out over rice, the first thing of note is that there really wasn't much in the way of tomato under the fish. The label says olive oil and tomato pulp each contribute 14% of the contents. It seems like far less tomato. I poured everything left in the can over the fish and rice in order to make the best of it. You can see the tomato component was sparse.

The fish are quite tender, even if they didn't fall apart getting them out of the tin. The texture is just short of melt-in-your-mouth.

The fish flavor is good, but the modest amount of tomato is bland and not really bringing anything to the party. They might have benefited from a little more salt, as it felt lower than the 480mg. sodium listed.

I finished the four smaller ones, and then topped the last larger one with some Micro Pharms Fried Chili Oil. The added salt and spice of the pepper perked things up nicely.

Main Takeaways

Tender, flavorful pilchards
Tomato lacking and bland
Needed a little salt or something to liven things up

The Maria Organic Sardines in Tomato I recently tried had far more and much better tomato than these. My expectation, these being their stablemate under the 100 Misterios umbrella, was that the quality would be similar. Sadly not, at least in terms of the tomato. The upside is the fish themselves are of the quality expected from Ati Manel, a brand known for value in Portugese sardines.

Brand: 100 Misterios / Ati Manel
Description: Sardines in tomato sauce
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $7

JOSÉ Gourmet Small Sardines in Tomato

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These JOSÉ Gourmet Small Sardines in Tomato came with a recent Caputo's order. I have experienced an increasing affinity for sardines in tomato-based sauces, after having avoided them for reasons of which I'm not entirely sure. Anyway, let's try these out.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

There appear to be seven fish total. The can is a shallower one, so what you see is what you get (almost). The aroma is subtle, just slightly that of fresh sardine and somewhat vegetal. A sip of the red-tinted oil (EVOO!) is similarly vegetal, but gives no real hints of the tomato. I see no scales or fins.

Time To Eat

I was able to remove them all from the can largely intact. Underneath, and a happy surprise, was the tomato sauce from which the oil had separated. All told, there were a couple of tablespoons of it all, which I distributed over the fish and rice.

Tasting the tomato component, I find it has a subtle seasoning. The ingredients list tomato pulp, EVOO, onion and garlic, an unnamed preparation comprised of white wine, sugar, white pepper and paprika, and salt.

The seasonings account for a very small percentage of the list, but the onion, garlic and some sweetness, either from the tomato or the sugar, are the most detectable. The salt level, listed at 360mg. sodium, didn't distract.

The fish are tender, but firm enough to divide into bites with a fork without mushiness. While eating, I thought a spicy tomato version might be well-received. On the other hand, the sauce was subtle enough (I won't call it bland) to let the taste of the fish shine through.

If any complaint, it would be that there were a couple of pieces of what looked like some kind of brown grass that were either on or in one of the fish. Nothing in the ingredient list to explain it, but definitely some kind of plant material.

Main Takeaways

Tender, tasty small sardines
Well-balanced, subtle sauce lets fish flavor shine

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

Sultan Moroccan Sardines with Olive Oil & Hot Peppers

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These Sultan Moroccan Sardines with Olive Oil & Hot Peppers were also from that new local Middle Eastern market. They also sell a version packed in sunflower oil with hot peppers. A gentleman at the market proclaimed these packed in olive oil to be his favorite sardine. I had tried the ones with tomato sauce and hot peppers before and thought they were worthy. Let's see how these fare.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

A little ragged-looking, but that's not usually a problem, taste-wise. The fresh sardine aroma is subtle. The oil is tinted red from the pepper. There are a few scales evident, but no tails or fins. A sip of the olive oil is neutral, until its heat hits the back of the throat with unexpected intensity.

Diving In

There are six medium size fish packed in the deep tin. All were firm enough to extract fairly intact, save for some roughed-up skin. Two sizeable peppers apparently account for the muscular level of heat.

There was a tablespoon or more of oil left in the can, and I cautiously poured about two thirds of it over everything.

Separating the fish into bites with a fork, they are firm but on the palate tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth. They are satisfyingly meaty at the same time. The salt level is just about right, with 440mg. sodium, a little above average.

Mixing the hot oil with the rice subdued the heat somewhat, and made for a satisfying level of spice throughout.

Main Takeaways

Tender, meaty pilchards
Good sardine flavor
Pepper heat is strong but not excessive

I would consider these a definite re-buy for spicy sardines. They check most all of the boxes for flavor, texture and heat. And all at a reasonable price.

Brand: Sultan
Description: Sardines with olive oil & hot pepper
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.41 oz.
Price Range: $3

El Manar Mediterranean Sardines in Sunflower Oil

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I got these El Manar Mediterranean Sardines in Sunflower Oil from another new-to-me local vendor, this time a Middle Eastern market. I had been wanting to try the brand for a long time, but they were never available individually priced on Amazon. While they were very attractively priced by the dozen there, I was reluctant to commit to twelve cans of an unknown commodity.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

This was one of those super stiff cans you think you'll never get the lid off. I was finally able to do so with minimal oil splatter. After doing so, I didn't note much in the way of aroma, only the slightest whiff of a fresh fish smell. A sip of the oil was also neutral, not unexpected from sunflower oil.

There looks to be a generous number of fish in this can, which is a good thing. I also see little or nothing in the way of scales or fins. Also good.

Lunch Time

Unloading the can out over rice, I am pleased to see a total of eight fish. They are firm enough to remain intact.

An initial bite reveals a meaty texture, not dry but not what I would call juicy by any means. I also note they are surprisingly a little salty, but not off-puttingly so. The English language label lists 270mg. sodium, relatively low for tinned fish.

After finishing half the can, I decided to season them up a little. A new jar of Micro Pharms Crunchy Garlic Oil seemed the perfect choice. It has tons of crunch, and by typical chili crisp/crunch standards, isn't salty at all. Turns out it was a good combination. I note the Amazon listing's image of the label says 0mg. sodium, but it's actually a still-very low 60mg.

Main Takeaways

Tender but firm fish
Generous portion
A little salty

Overall, I thought there was much to like about these, and just may consider purchasing a dozen. El Manar also sells a version packed in harissa oil. Hopefully, I can convince the local vendor to consider stocking them as well.

Brand: ManarThon-Zarzis / El Manar
Description: Sardines in sunflower oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Tunisia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $3-4

Fishwife Smoked Trout with Red Chimichurri

DeenLeave a comment

Another tin I picked up from that new local gourmet shop, this Fishwife Smoked Trout with Red Chimichurri sounded quite appetizing. It's a selection not stocked by either of the other two places I've purchased Fishwife products before. A little spendy at $13, but not out of the ballpark for Fishwife tins that incorporate some kind of additional premium preparation like their Sichuan chili crisp smoked salmon.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

The aroma hits you immediately. Smoke, vinegar, oregano, cumin. It's almost like the lid just opened on a loaded barbecue pit. The chimichurri looks kind of sparse, though. A sip of the oil (olive) is also smoky and seasoned.

The single filet is firm enough to lift out of the tin intact. Underneath, there is a copious amount of the chimichurri, and I poured all of it over the trout and rice.

An added plus was that there was enough of the sauce to coat the fish as well as season the majority of the rice.

Picking off bites of fish, I note it is firm but tender enough. The smoking process has flavored it but not made it tough. I didn't check to see if there was skin on the bottom of it, but didn't notice any as I ate.

The seasoning includes grilled red pepper, vinegar, parsley, garlic, oregano, paprika, cumin, chili and salt. The pepper and herbs have been reduced to a coarse grind, and everything is well-integrated.

Main Takeaways

Complex aroma and flavor
Tender, meaty trout
Everything well-balanced

About the only thing that could make this tin any better would be a lower price.

Attractively priced in lots of three at Amazon, though. I just ordered three if that tells you anything. Or use the link and code below and get some directly from Fishwife.

Brand: Fishwife
Description: Smoked trout with red chimichurri
Species: Trout
Country of Origin: Denmark
Source: FAO N/S Farm raised
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.7 oz.
Price Range: $11-13

Use code WELCOME10 for 10% off sitewide.

Affiliate link, earns commissions

Maria Organic Sardines with Organic Tomatoes in EVOO

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I got these Maria Organic Sardines with Organic Tomatoes in EVOO during my first visit to a new local gourmet foods market of which I just became aware. I was encouraged by their initial inventory of non-supermarket variety tinned fish. Hopefully, their selection will expand even further.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

The aroma is of fresh tomato. A sip of the oil is similar, except with a note of the sardines. Any notes from the EVOO itself were masked by the tomato. There appear to be four medium to large pilchards. The tomato consistency is that of crushed tomatoes. The flavor of it doesn't suggest anything in the way of seasonings, and the label confirms only tomatoes, EVOO and salt.

Time For Lunch

Out over rice, there are three medium size fish and one a bit larger than the rest. I see a few scales remaining in the sauce, but pour it all over the fish anyway. I didn't note any fins, but the sauce may have concealed them.

The tomatoes are thick and cling well to the fish, the intense red color indicative of their depth of flavor.

An initial bite is firm and meaty. There is no dryness to the mouthfeel, and the flavor of the fish is fresh.

I thought the salt balance was spot-on, adding just enough to serve both the fish and tomato sauce well. The impression of freshness of the sauce is a big plus, and its brightness of flavor complements the fish well. Thankfully, it doesn't taste over-cooked, as some tomato sauces do.

Main Takeaways

Meaty pilchards
Fresh, bright tasting tomato
Thick sauce clung well to the fish

A spicy tomato version of this tin would be a welcome addition to the Maria Organic offerings.

Brand: 100 Misterios / Maria Organic
Description: Sardines with organic tomatoes in EVOO
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $8-9

Ramón Peña Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil

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This Ramón Peña Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil has been in my stash for a few months now. I've had it since before I tried their sardines in olive oil, and I just felt like some tuna.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

A nice big chunk of yellowfin. The aroma of the oil is neutral, with no real scent of the fish. A sip of it has just a hint of tuna flavor.

Tasting a bit of it alone, it has a mild flavor one would expect of yellowfin, with only the slightest hint of tuna "tang".

Let's Do Lunch

It was packed in tight, making extracting the fish from the can in one big chunk impossible. I inverted the can over the rice bowl, and used a fork to pry it all out. There wasn't much oil, but what little there was went in as well.

As I tried larger bites of tuna, I kept thinking it seemed a little dry on the palate. The initial taste was straight from the can and had relatively more oil with it. In the bowl, the oil kind of drained off into the rice, leaving the tuna not as coated with it.

I also thought it could have use a touch more salt, listed as a moderate to low 310mg.

Adding Some Seasoning

This next part was a bit premeditated. Rather than my usual basmati, I chose some sticky rice for this tasting. I also brought out some furikake and gohan desuyo, just for a little Japanese flair.

The furikake added the needed saltiness, its nori and sesame adding some beneficial umami. Gohan desuyo is usually more a flavoring for the rice, and in this case I probably should have left it off, as it did nothing for the tuna except to overpower it. I'll know better next time.

Main Takeaways

Nice, mild yellowfin tuna
A tad dry mouth feel
Needed some salt

At $8, I might have expected a little more from this tin, but at the same time I didn't go into it expecting to be blown away, either. This would be a good choice for some kind of salad with some additional olive oil to moisten things up a bit.

Brand: Ramón Peña
Description: Yellowfin tuna in olive oil
Species: Thunnus albacares
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.9 oz.
Price Range: $8