Reviews - Page 2 of 33

Sultan Sardines in Oil – Mild

These Sultan Sardines in Oil - Mild came from the Mediterranean market I've been getting a bunch of new sardines from lately. I've had several Sultan varieties already, but these were the latest to appear on the shelves there. That these are called "mild" is odd, almost like the versions with peppers are considered the default flavoring.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

Some big ones. It almost looked like only two, but there were two more underneath in the deep tin. They're nicely packed, with skin largely unbroken. The aroma is of fresh sardine. A sip of the oil is, well, "mild", having no real flavor to it. It's sunflower oil.

Let's Dig In

The fish extract from the tin largely intact. No scales, but a fin or two here and there. I poured most of the oil over the fish and rice.

Piercing with a fork, they are quite tender despite their size. On the palate, the meat is soft and moist.

There's kind of an earthy flavor to them, but maybe it's just me having gotten used to sardines with some kind of added seasoning.

I thought they lacked salt, the sodium being an average 380mg. for the can. I briefly thought about adding something to ratchet it up a bit, but being three fourths of the way through the tin, decided to just leave it be.

Main Takeaways

Tender fish despite their size
Generous portion
A bit bland, needed salt

Overall, I'm glad I tried these; they were worth the $3 price tag. Also glad I only bought one tin to try. I think I'll stick to the versions with hot peppers in olive oil and the ones with tomato and hot peppers.

Brand: Sultan
Description: Sardines in oil - mild
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.41oz.
Price Range: $3

Eva Adriatic Sardines in Vegetable Oil with Lemon

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These Eva Adriatic Sardines in Vegetable Oil with Lemon were a new item at the local Mediterranean market. I've made a habit of checking there regularly for new tinned fish, and have made several interesting discoveries. Let's see how these are.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nice looking, packed in tight. Skin a little roughed up but that's OK. No scales evident. A few tails, but that's to be expected from canneries in this area. A lot of sardines from Italy caught in the Adriatic and packed in Croatia also seem to come with tails left on. They're soft enough to either ignore or remove with the flick of a fork.

A sip of the oil has a nice, subtle but real lemony flavor. It's soybean oil, not really a problem, and it helps keep these at $2 a can.

Hauling them out over rice, they are tender and a bit fall-apart-y. There are seven fish total in this modest 3.5oz. tin. I've found this to be the case lately with sardines packed in Croatia. Looking online, these used to be 4oz. so a little shrinkflation going on. But still, 7 fish.

I poured the remaining oil over everything, using my fork to strain out any skin or other debris left in it. There's a real lemon slice there, and it retains some brightness of flavor.

These are quite tender, and the lemon flavor has infused everything well enough to give a good flavor experience throughout the entire can's worth.

Not too salty, the sodium listed is 410mg. I thought everything was well-balanced.

$2 for actual pilchards with lemon is an unbelievable bargain.

Main Takeaways

Tender, flavorful fish
Good lemon flavor throughout
Super bargain for sardines with lemon

I'll be checking back for more of these. Hopefully, they won't run out before I get there. I also got some Eva Adriatic Sardines in Olive Oil, slightly higher in price, that I'm looking forward to trying.

Brand: Podravka USA / Eva
Description: Sardines in vegetable oil with lemon
Species: Clupea pilchardus (Sardina pilchardus)
Country of Origin: Croatia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $2

Genova Yellowfin Tuna with Lemon & Herbes de Provence

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This Genova Yellowfin Tuna with Lemon & Herbes de Provence came from Walmart. Yellowfin is my preferred canned tuna, and the label says "solid light", which is a plus. Let's see how it tastes.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nice looking, solid tuna. The aroma from the can is fresh, not fishy. A sip of the liquid is promising, tasting of fresh lemon. I don't see evidence of any of the other seasonings.

Let's Eat

Lifting the meat out of the can, it stays mostly in sizeable chunks. What you see in the photo above are solid pieces which are as thick as the can is deep.

I poured all of the remaining packing liquid out over the fish and rice. Once again, it appears olive oil is not the main packing liquid, and, to be fair, the can does not state or really imply that it is. It does say "lemon & herbes de provence flavor infused olive oil". Olive oil precedes lemon juice and water in the ingredients list.

I still don't see any of the aforementioned herbes, so I must assume they've been reduced to a flavoring. They appear last on the list, and in tasting, I find their contribution to be little to none.

The lemon, however, is another story, lending a bright, fresh acidity. Sodium is listed at 500mg. but it tastes nowhere near that salty.

I found the tuna itself a tad dry, but not a deal breaker. It had a good, mild flavor that the lemon only improved. It's a shame the Herbes de Provence were underrepresented. At $2.97 for a 5oz. can, though, I didn't feel cheated.

Main Takeaways

Good quality yellowfin tuna
Bright, fresh lemon flavor
Promised spices kind of MIA

Brand: Genova Seafood
Description: Yellowfin tuna with lemon and Herbes de Provence
Species: Yellowfin tuna
Country of Origin: Thailand
Source: FAO71, Western Central Pacific
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 5 oz.
Price Range: $3

Sea Tales Sardines in Water Revisited

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These Sea Tales Sardines in Water were the second of two cans I found at Home Goods. The first can was a huge disappointment, I was barely able to finish it, and I considered not even opening this one.

Initial impression upon opening the can: Still meh...

Still really roughed-up looking. Still three to the can. But I have a plan this time. And it's not so much a re-visit as it is a salvage operation.

Let's Doctor Things Up a Bit

I learned early on from watching online tinned fish reviewer videos that certain condiments can save the day when it comes to a lackluster can of sardines. Chief among them are various hot sauces, Salsa Espinaler, and chili crisp.

I hadn't heard of chili crisp before, but after trying a few (OK, more than a few), it became a new obsession.

For the purposes of this experiment, I first seasoned up the rice with some soy & sesame sauce in a packet I had left over from a Trader Joe's Asian-style noodle product.

For the chili crisp, I chose a particularly bold variation from a brand called ChuanNan. Its label indicates it's "great with rice" and "fragrant". Chili crisp is as much about texture as it is heat and flavor. This one contains peanuts, crunchy peas and sesame seeds, plus a fair amount of Sichuan pepper heat. My assumption is that when a culture eats as much rice as is consumed in Asian countries, anything to liven up its soft texture and inherently bland taste is a welcome addition.

Although it all did much to improve the otherwise unimpressive fish, upon reflection, I may have overdone things a bit. I should have backed off the soy & sesame sauce as, together with the chili crisp, it made things perhaps a bit too salty. If you remember my first tin of this selection, I was wishing for some more salt. I should have been more careful here.

But all in all, it didn't totally ruin things, and I found a way to improve an otherwise boring tin of fish. Still a win.

Main Takeaways

Added saltiness improved things
Still visually unappealing
Probably should have used less soy sesame sauce

Brand: Sea Tales
Description: Sardines in water
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $5-6

Nissui Seasoned Sardines

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These Nissui Seasoned Sardines came from a new Asian market I visited recently. Their sardine selection was low, fried eel apparently being the more popular tinned fish there and in many other such establishments. The receipt called them "sardines ajitsuke", which apparently just means "seasoned".

Initial impression upon opening the can: 3/5.

A rather unappetizing visual. I'd rather they looked more like the image on the can, but no luck. Also disappointing is the amount of empty space. Just two large sardinops, I would assume, these being sourced from Thailand. The aroma is of soy sauce, not surprising.

I went in a different direction this time, and ate them with some soy and sesame oil glazed cold noodles. Seemed appropriate for a Japanese product also in a soy-based sauce.

Lifting them from the tin, they are quite stiff. Digging in, they are resistant to the pierce of a fork, but that's more likely due to their size. On the palate, they were reasonably tender, and the bones unobtrusive. I detected no scales.

Appearances aside, the flavor was not bad. But being packed in a soy sauce preparation may or may not have influenced the perception of the fish flavor.

Saltiness wasn't an issue, despite the label claiming 670mg. sodium. Probably more due to the soy sauce, which I didn't pour all of over the fish and noodles.

Main Takeaways

Not the prettiest
Wished they were smaller and better filled the can
Flavor and tenderness acceptable despite appearance

Although a Japanese product, the label indicates the fish are sourced from Thailand.

Brand: Nissui Co. Ltd.
Description: Sardine in soy sauce
Species: ?
Country of Origin: Thailand / Japan
Source: FAO61, Northwest Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.53 oz.
Price Range: $2-3

Pollastrini Sardines in Tomato Sauce

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These Pollastrini Sardines in Tomato Sauce came from International Loft. I've tried a couple of Pollastrini selections before, and this tin was one of a few unfamiliar ones from them that I ordered during a recent sale.

Before I even opened the tin, I was a bit confused. Pollastrini is an Italian brand, reportedly one of, if not the last remaining producers of Mediterranean sardines. What struck me as odd was the label applied by the US importer, which had a cannery code indicating product of Croatia. Also perplexing was the ingredient list on the applied label contradicted the ingredients underneath it on the tin itself. This gave me pause, as the tin listing includes olive oil, celery and spices whereas the label specified sunflower oil, potato starch and sugar.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

The initial aroma is of tomato. The sauce looks homogenous, the oil not having separated as is often the case. A sip of it has a certain brightness to it. The fish themselves are mostly intact with little roughed up skin. The "bars" across them must be some artifact of the canning process.

The tin is 3.5 oz, a little light as compared to the average. But although shallower, it is also wider than normal, and in this case capable of accommodating six fish.

Time To Eat

The fish are firm, and come out of the can intact. There are a few scales, but no tails or fins. They are mostly uniform in size with one larger exception.

I poured most of the sauce remaining in the tin over everything. In a bit of a departure from normal, I'm using a brown and wild rice combo instead of my usual basmati. The sauce is nothing special, but at least does not have an overcooked taste.

Digging in, the meat is firm, with no dryness on the palate. They have a good, fresh flavor. Mediterranean sardines sometimes have a different mouthfeel from those harvested from other regions. I have seen elsewhere the texture of the fish in this same tin referred to as anchovy-like. Having recently tried the Patagonia Provisions Spicy White Anchovies, I can see where that impression comes from.

I found the salt level acceptable. Depending on whether you go by the tin or by the applied label, sodium is either a moderately high 620mg. or a moderately low 240mg. My impression is of the latter.

Main Takeaways

Fresh-tasting, meaty sardines
Smaller net weight than average, but six fish a plus
Tomato sauce just OK

Brand: Pollastrini
Description: Sardines in tomato sauce
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

El Manar Light Tuna Flakes with Harissa

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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