These Fangst Brisling Smoked Over Beech Wood came with that recent big haul from Caputo's. I've been looking forward to seeing how their sprats were when just smoked, without any other seasonings. They were a bit surprising.
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.
Nicely packed, as better Latvian sprats usually are. The count looks to be 11 in a single layer. Visually, they have that bronze look of smoked sprats. The aroma from the can isn't especially noteworthy. I don't really smell any smokiness, but assume it will be there on the palate. A sip of the oil is, well, um, salty. And that's a new one on me.
Normally, I treat sprats as more of a snack, and just eat them from the can solo. Digging in, the fish are quite tender. And salty. The carton says 350mg. sodium, but it tastes like twice that or more. I am getting a hint of the wood smoke on the back end, but it's very subtle. You have to really be looking for it to detect it under all the salt.
Oh, and did I mention salty? I've had other Fangst selections before, and noted each time that they had a prominent but not off-putting salt level. Unfortunately, this time was different, and I found the overt saltiness to be a distraction. It didn't keep me from finishing the $8 can, mind you, but it made for a somewhat disappointing experience. YMMV.
I did look up a few online reviews of these, and while some did note the saltiness, they didn't mention it overpowering the other flavors. Perhaps this can was an anomaly. Caveat emptor.
Brand: Fangst (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Description: Brisling, Smoked over beech wood
Species: Sprattus sprattus
Country of Origin: Latvia
Source: FAO 27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $8