These Minerva Sardines in Spiced Olive Oil with Vegetables were tried as a follow-up to the Nuri Spiced Mackerel. I had enjoyed that spiced flavor profile and hoped it would translate well to sardines.
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.
Four nice-sized pilchards, with very little headroom left in the can. While these did have the slices of carrot (2) and cucumber (1), they had two small piri-piri peppers, and that was all. No clove, bay leaf or peppercorn to be found. As such, these had a little heat and nothing else in the way of spice.
That's OK, though because, as plain sardines go, these were top-notch. Clean aroma and taste, tender, and not dry at all. Although I probably won't buy them again, at least I know Minerva puts out a quality can of fish, even if they weren't seasoned as expected.
I also purchased some of the Minerva Sardines in Olive Oil with Lemon at the same time. Hopefully, I'll have something good to report on them later.
Main Takeaways
- Nice looking pilchards
- Not spiced as anticipated
Brand: A Poveira/MInerva
Description: Sardines in Spiced Olive Oil w/Vegetables
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.25 oz.
Price Range: $5-6