Reviews - Sardeenz!

El Manar Light Tuna Flakes with Harissa

This El Manar Light Tuna Flakes with Harissa came from that Middle-Eastern market I go to to look for new sardines. I hadn't seen this tin there before, and was a bit curious as to why tins dated from 2024 suddenly showed up in 2026, but the best by date was 2027, so I took a chance. I was hoping to see the El Manar Sardines in Harissa I knew they'd had before back in stock, but no luck. This can seemed like a good opportunity to see what their harissa sauce was like. At $4.29, I hoped for the best.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.6/5.

Looks a bit mushy. Described as tuna flakes, I wasn't expecting filets, but I'm hoping that digging in will reveal something more appealing. The aroma is as expected, tuna-fishy. Not really getting a sense of the harissa.

Time To Eat

OK, out of the can things are improved. It's what I'd call a chunk light tuna. I can't find anything on the company website that says what kind, though. An Amazon listing says bluefin, but I'm skeptical as it's not a Mediterranean species typically seen canned.

What you see is about three fourths of the can, which is a generous 5.71oz. It says two servings, but I may just finish it all if it's good.

A taste of the tuna is encouraging. The heat of the sauce hits just right, complementing but not overpowering the tuna flavor. Whatever kind it is, I find it satisfyingly flavorful.

The harissa is sunflower oil-based and includes red hot peppers, garlic, coriander, caraway and citric acid. The heat is steady but moderate, the spices well-balanced and the citric acid brings a welcome note of bright tanginess. The salt level is just right at 355mg.

I did end up finishing the whole can, if that tells you anything. This tuna is about $3.50 a can in quantity on Amazon, and, honestly, I could see myself pulling the trigger on a 10 count.

Main Takeaways

Moist, flavorful tuna
Well-balanced application of harissa
Generous portion

Brand: ManarThon-Zarzis / El Manar
Description: Light tuna flakes with harissa
Species: Bluefin?
Country of Origin: Tunisia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 5.71 oz.
Price Range: $3-4

Casablanca Spicy Sardines with Hot Peppers

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These Casablanca Spicy Sardines with Hot Peppers came from a local Middle-Eastern market. I've learned to check there regularly, as I've found several selections I haven't seen elsewhere, and they seem to get new things frequently. Moroccan sardines at $2 a tin felt like a challenge worth taking.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

It's one of those stiff, scary-to-open cans with the squiggly ridges on the lid. Fortunately, I get it open without incident. It's just two huge pilchards, which I've come to expect from inexpensively-priced Moroccan sardines. Skin is a little roughed up. The oil is tinged red from peppers, I assume, but I don't see any yet. The aroma is a little fishier than I'd like. A sip of the oil, listed as sunflower, has a heat that doesn't hit until the back of the throat. I see some bones sticking out from the tail end of the loins. No scales or fins, though.

Let's Eat

Heaving them out over rice, I find two bright red peppers underneath. There's a few tablespoons of the oil left in the tin, and I poured most over the fish and rice.

I think what I like least about getting overgrown pilchards is the sense that I'm butchering a side of beef rather than enjoying some little fishes. Nonetheless, the meat is tender and moist, not mushy, and reasonably melt-in-your-mouth in texture.

The fish flavor, like the aroma, is a bit stronger, but not off-putting. The pepper flavor is low but steady, no real complaint there. They don't seem all that salty, and the carton confirms a low 200mg. sodium. I didn't feel compelled, however, to add anything salty to make up for it.

Main Takeaways

Why couldn't they be smaller
Tender, meaty fish regardless
Maybe could have used some salt

Brand: Spice N' More Corp. / Casablanca
Description: Spicy sardines in olive oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.375 oz.
Price Range: $2

Brunswick Skinless Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil

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It occurred to me that it had been a long time since I had returned to where the journey started, with some skinless boneless sardines. Back then, I ordered King Oscar's by the case, usually consuming them as an evening snack with saltine crackers. This tin of Brunswick Skinless Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil was laying around in my stash, and I was moved to revisit this style of tinned fish. For old times' sake.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

There's that aroma, somewhere between sardine and tuna. The olive oil has a golden hue. There appear to be five fileted loins total.

Let's Eat

My recollection of these was that, although tender and meaty, they were a little bland. With sodium a little on the low side at 290mg, they weren't all that salty. Seemed like a good opportunity to investigate how they would taste with chili crisp.

I first became aware of the condiment chili crisp while watching a youtube sardine reviewer. It would also be from where I learned of Salsa Espinaler. For the purposes of this review, I chose a rather spicy version of chili crisp, Chuannan Chili Oil Crisp, which you can learn more about at the link.

I was concerned this bold version of chili crisp might overpower the sardine flavor. The one the youtube reviewer had was a far tamer brand called Lao Gan Ma. But I found the heightened spice level of the Chuannan complemented the fish and vice versa. And since chili crisps are often combined with rice, the three together made for a tasty, umami-filled experience.

Main Takeaways

Tasty sardines
Nostalgic flavor
Needed some spicing up

Brand: Brunswick
Description: Skinless boneless sardines in olive oil
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $2-3

Old Riga Atlantic Sardines in Oil

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These Old Riga Atlantic Sardines in Oil came from an international market that I have not had much good luck with when it comes to sardines. The can is large, 8.5oz, twice that of a normal tin, and was only $4.49. I waited until a day that I was hungrier than normal, as storing sardine leftovers is a pain. I was assuming sprats, as they are from Latvia. Boy, was I ever wrong.

The first indication I should have had that something was amiss was in checking the ingredients. "Sliced sardines"? Why would you slice sprats?

Initial impression upon opening the can: 2/5.

What in the name of sweet baby Jeebus have I gotten myself into? A strong aroma of fish hit me as I cracked open the can. I wasn't really sure what I was looking at, at first. Then it dawned on me that it was the cross-sections of sliced, rather large fish. Some really unappetizing-looking fish at that.

Wish Me Luck

The tin says they're packed in canola oil, but it's more like "with" some canola oil. Since they were packed cross-section side up, I can now see skin, but thankfully no scales. Also a few fins, but I dispatched them straight away. I'm not really sure what species of fish this even is.

I closed my eyes, and took a whole piece in one bite. The meat is tender enough, but woefully bland. There doesn't seem to be too much in the way of bones, but I didn't feel like performing a dissection.

They're lacking salt. And that's surprising, as the tin states the entire contents is six servings at 200mg. sodium per. Honestly, it doesn't taste like 200mg. for the whole can. Three fourths of the way through, I brought out the Valentina hot sauce in order to salvage what was left.

I have a can of Japanese mackerel in soybean paste I've been reluctant to open, fearing a similar experience.

Main Takeaways

Read the label before purchase, dummy
Unappetizing appearance
Tender but bland fish

Brand: GFI Foods / Old Riga
Description: Atlantic sardines in oil
Species: ?
Country of Origin: Latvia
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 8.5 oz.
Price Range: $4-5

Pollastrini Sardines in Sunflower Oil

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These Pollastrini Sardines in Sunflower Oil came from International Loft. As with other Pollastrini tins in the order, this one also includes an add-on label indicating sourcing from Croatia. I've liked other selections from them so far, and wanted to see what their unembellished, plain sardines in oil were like.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

The skins are a little rough, but that won't affect taste. The aroma from the tin is solely of the fish, and a little stronger than I'm used to. But not in a bad way. No scales apparent, but I see some tails, typical of Italian packed sardines. They're easy enough to cut off.

A sip of the oil is neutral, as sunflower usually is. Pollastrini produces plain sardines packed in olive oil, and I'm not sure why International Loft doesn't appear to stock them. They do stock the spicy sardines in olive oil version. But, if the fish have a good taste on their own, though, the type of oil isn't necessarily critical.

Let's Eat

Pulling them from the tin, they are quite tender, almost falling apart. The few tails I saw, I easily cut away with a fork. There are six fish, once again testament to Pollastrini's ability to pack more fish in a smaller can than their competitors.

What little oil was left in the tin, I poured over the fish, attempting to avoid the skin and tails debris.

Digging in, they are as tender as they seemed. I found, however, as I worked my way through them, the taste to be somewhat earthy, maybe even muddy. Not a lack of freshness, but something intrinsic to the fish, a blandness. Disappointing.

They lacked salt, but even the addition of a salty condiment didn't materially improve things. Sodium is listed as 550mg, but they tasted nowhere near that salty.

Main Takeaways

Tender fish
Good count
Unimpressive flavor

Brand: Pollastrini
Description: Sardines in sunflower 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

Delamaris Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil

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These Delamaris Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil were found as a new item at a local international market. I'm always on the lookout for a good tin of mackerel fillets at a reasonable price. At $3.49, these were worth a try.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Some nice looking fillets. The extra chunk filling in space at the lower right to me says customer first impressions matter. The aroma is of fresh fish, mild and slightly tuna-like. I see no bones or skin.

A sip of the transparent, pale green olive oil gives a clean taste. The front label just says "olive oil", but the ingredients list "refined olive oil, extra virgin olive oil", and you can taste the quality of it.

Let's Eat

Altogether, there was one large chunk, a smaller chunk underneath, and that bonus piece. The meat is firm, and the pieces remain intact as they are extracted from the tin. There is still quite a bit of the olive oil with some floating mackerel bits in it left in the can, and not wanting to waste any, I poured it all over the fish and rice.

The fish is firm and toothsome on the palate, but in no way dry. It has a mild, buttery flavor that I always say makes me prefer it over tuna. Good mackerel is like a good steak.

The sodium is listed as an above average 510mg. but I found the fish not at all salty, and quite frankly didn't miss it.

Main Takeaways

Mild, buttery fish
Good mackerel flavor
Really good olive oil

All in all, a really nice tin of mackerel fillets. I've paid over twice as much for similar, and wasn't twice as impressed as I was by this one. I'll be going back for more.

I noted the company website says they pack in a combo of EVOO and sunflower oil. I also noted the tin had an adhesive label covering the entire bottom. Peeling it back, I expected to see conflicting information printed directly on the tin, but it was totally blank.

Also odd, I thought, was the inclusion of both the California Prop65 warning as well as a "Not for sale in the State of California" statement.

Brand: Delamaris
Description: Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil
Species: Scomber japonicus
Country of Origin: Slovenia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $3-4

Espinaler Sardines in Pickled Sauce 3/5

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These Espinaler Sardines in Pickled Sauce 3/5 (Escabeche) came from Caputo's. As part of the Espinaler "classic" line, they are still quite a bargain at $5. I'd had their mussels in pickled sauce before, and wondered how that might translate to sardines.

This was one of those deep, super stiff cans with the undulating ridges on the lid. Usually, that makes for a big mess when either your hand or the lid suddenly slips, and the packing oil or sauce flies everywhere. Savvy sardine aficionados have learned a "walk and rock" technique to get the lid off without incident. Typically, you can get the lid about halfway peeled back before things start getting dicey. But, if you "walk" it, concentrating on the left and right alternately, you can get to a point where you can "rock" the lid back and forth until it gently releases. Thus endeth the lesson.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

On a 3/5 tin of sardines, I always hope for 5, but in this case got 3. Beautifully packed, pristine skin, no scales, fins or tails. The aroma of the sauce is immediately apparent when the lid is first cracked.

A sip of the oil/sauce is less revealing, but would bloom later on. The oil in this case is sunflower.

Time To Eat

I heaved the three big pilchards out over rice, and before pouring any of the sauce/oil over them, took a minute to whisk it back into an emulsion with a plastic fork.

Digging in, the fish are as tender as can be expected from pilchards their size. They are acceptably moist, with a good, fresh sardine flavor.

It hadn't struck me before now, only having had this sauce preparation with their mussels, that the flavor of this pickled sauce/escabeche is quite reminiscent of the Salsa Espinaler appetizer sauce. Both are vinegary, with a mild pepper note.

I didn't find these notably absent of salt, but the sauce made up for any lack thereof. Sodium is listed as a moderate 350mg.

I thought it was odd that the carton I received was printed (in Spanish) "sardines in olive oil". Only two labels, applied over the back and front, contained the name and information for sardines in pickled sauce. Someone must have forgotten to order boxes at the cannery.

Brand: Espinaler
Description: Sardines in pickled sauce
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.05 oz.
Price Range: $5