I found these Da Morgada Portugese Spiced Sardines at an upscale supermarket I rarely visit. The brand was unfamiliar to me, but they appeared to have promise. The carton has some gold leaf accents in the artwork, from which I inferred a degree of quality. Taking a chance at $7, I purchased them along with some mackerel by the same brand.
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.
Four nice looking, plump pilchards. Smooth, silvery bellies. A little roughed-up skin in places. No scales or fins are evident. A sip of the oil is neutral on the tip of the tongue, with a mild heat that sneaks stealthily up at the back of the throat. The carton lists merely "olive oil", but it seems to be of good quality. I assume its red tint is from the pepper.
Trying to lift individual fish from the can, they are tender enough to want to fall apart. Two small piri-piri peppers reveal themselves beneath the fish. "Spiced" (as opposed to "spicy") usually means chili pepper, clove, bay laurel. The only seasonings listed are piri-piri and "aroma", whatever that means. Clean taste to the fish, they are of obvious quality. I see the carton claims they are hand-packed.
Looking for them online, I don't find the brand offered by any of the usual suspects. The few I see at Amazon are over-priced. I was hoping for more information from the website listed on the carton, but it looks like it was created in the early 1990s and hasn't been updated since. I'd recommend these, but good luck finding them.
Main Takeaways
- Nice looking fish
- Very tender
- Would buy again if I could find them
Brand: Da Morgada
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: $7