Reviews - Page 3 of 30

Patagonia Provisions Smoked Wild Pink Salmon

This Patagonia Provisions Smoked Wild Pink Salmon was found on sale at Whole Foods at the same time as their smoked salmon with pastrami spice. The only difference appears to be the pastrami part. Let's see how this one compares.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

Again a fraction of a point deducted for that empty space in the can. The aroma is smoky and sweet, courtesy of natural wood smoke and organic brown sugar. A sip of the broth echoes both.

Let's Eat

Out of the tin, you can better appreciate the bronze color from the natural smoke. There's still some skin attached, and some drops of fat exuding here and there. Both will contribute to a more unctuous mouth feel.

There were a couple of tablespoons of broth left in the tin, and I poured it over everything.

The meat is al dente, as expected, but flakes readily. On the palate, the smoke and brown sugar are well-balanced. Salt is a reasonable 510mg., maybe a little low for this type of product.

Absent other flavor embellishments such as the one from Fishwife, this one compares reasonably well to similar competition from Wildfish Cannery.

Main Takeaways

Firm, meaty salmon
Well-balanced smoke and seasoning

If there's any complaint to air, it's that another half ounce or so could have fit in the tin. The $7.64 Whole Foods/Amazon Prime sale price made it more than reasonable, though.

Brand: Patagonia Provisions
Description: Smoked Wild Pink Salmon
Species: Pink salmon
Country of Origin: WA, USA
Source: FAO67, Northeast Pacific
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 3 oz.
Price Range: $10

Patagonia Provisions Spicy White Anchovies

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These Patagonia Provisions Spicy White Anchovies came from Whole Foods, where they are a new item. Several visits were required to obtain them as the initial stock coincided with a sale, they sold out quickly, and then restocking took forever. I finally found them back in stock, but sadly, after the sale. Still, they were less expensive than the average online price. Let's try them.

I'm amazed by comments online that state, "they're not very salty", or "they're not white". These are not the anchovies you put on your pizza (although you could), nor in your Caesar salad dressing.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Firm and meaty looking fish. The oil (organic EVOO) is tinged red from organic Spanish paprika and cayenne. The aroma is a tangy, from the apple cider vinegar. There is no real aroma of fish, or it's masked by the spices.

Let's Eat

Pulling them from the tin, they are quite firm. A more slender fish than sardines, and I see no fins or tails. Not really any scales, either. There are six fish total.

The remaining liquid in the tin has bits of diced red bell pepper, and I poured everything over the fish and rice.

Digging in, they slightly resist being divided into bite-size pieces with a fork. The flavor of the fish is fresh. The texture is a tad dry, but not a deal breaker.

The seasonings were well-balanced and the salt level unobtrusive, even though it's listed as a moderately high 840mg. The back of the carton states, "The Heat Is On", but there's not really any heat here, the cayenne being last on the ingredient list. "Spicy" sardines are usually seasoned with piri-piri peppers. The seasoning here is more akin to an escabeche style pickled sauce.

White anchovies make for an interesting alternative to sardines. I'd certainly have no problem getting these again, especially if they're on sale.

Main Takeaways

Fresh, meaty fish
Well-balanced seasoning
Not too salty

Brand: Patagonia Provisions
Description: Spicy White Anchovies in EVOO
Species: Engraulis encrasicolus
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $7

Beach Cliff Herring Fillets Kipper Style Snacks

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Lately, I've been looking at some odd places for sardines and other tinned fish. I expect selection will be low, but always hope for something interesting. These Beach Cliff Herring Fillets Kipper Style Snacks were found at a dollar store. Nothing special, but for $1.50, worth a try.

The packaging doesn't match that on the store's website, but these are well in date, with a best by of 9/28.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

A little loose on the packing, but the stated net weight of 3.53 oz. is well within the range typical of kipper snacks. The aroma of the "natural smoke flavoring" hits you first. The appearance, however, is enough to confirm it hasn't been truly wood smoked. A sip of the broth echoes the aroma.

Let's Dig In

Over rice isn't a typical way to enjoy kipper snacks, but it doesn't add or subtract anything from the fish, so it's a good way to assess flavor.

The fish is quite moist and tender, not unusual for this type of herring.

I found the smoke flavor palatable enough, and didn't think it overpowered the flavor of the fish.

Kipper style herring is inherently salty, and the 500mg. of sodium was not unexpected. But it didn't seem excessive.

Main Takeaways

Typical herring kipper snacks
Acceptable salt and smoke
Cheap

Kipper snacks are a good, low calorie, inexpensive tinned fish. Although the MW Polar remains a favorite, most brands are acceptable.

Brand: Bumble Bee Seafoods / Beach Cliff
Description: Herring fillets kipper style
Species: Clupea Harengus
Country of Origin: Canada
Source: FAO21, Northwest Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/No
Net Wt: 3.53 oz.
Price Range: < $2

Sanniti Mackerel Fillets in Lemon Oil with Crushed Pepper

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I bought these Sanniti Mackerel Fillets in Lemon Oil with Crushed Pepper on a bit of a whim from Amazon. Three cans of Scandinavian mackerel for $3.33 per can. The lemon pepper seasoning was intriguing, something I hadn't seen with mackerel before, so I threw caution to the wind. Let's see how I did.

The three pack comes as unmarked tins shrinkwrapped in opaque red plastic, with the particulars on an attached label. This mackerel is a product of Denmark.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

I'm pleased to see these are fillets and not just a mass of mackerel meat. There's the cracked black pepper on top. A sip of the mostly clear oil (canola) gives hints of the pepper as well as a subtle note of lemon. There is no actual lemon in the tin, and the ingredients list the lemon oil last in the order.

Let's Eat

As I lift the fillets out of the tin, they are tender enough to want to break in two. There was some mackerel debris left in the bottom, and I tested it to get my first impression of the flavor. Well-coated in the oil, the lemon became more pronounced. I dumped the remaining fish and pepper-laden oil over everything.

Once I began to dig into the fillets is when the party really started. I have to say this is some of the most moist and tender mackerel I've had to date. The flavor is rich, mild, and what people must mean when they say fish is buttery. And it's making me very glad I have two more cans of it.

The heat of the rice let the lemon oil flavor bloom even more, and the amount of pepper was just right, overpowering neither the fish flavor nor the lemon.

Main Takeaways

Moist and tender fish
Subtle lemon and well-balanced pepper
Mackerel fillets at an attractive price point

Brand: Sanniti, LLC
Description: Mackerel with lemon oil and crushed pepper
Species: Scomber scombrus
Country of Origin: Denmark
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.4 oz. (each)
Price Range: $3.33 (x3)

Conchita Sardines in Tomato Sauce

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A heretofore unknown brand to me, I got these Conchita Sardines in Tomato Sauce at my local supermarket, where they appeared as a new item. Sourced from Spain, I was confident they would be pilchards, so the main question was, how would the tomato sauce stand up? Let's find out.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

The carton is bilingual. If you flip it over, everything's in Spanish. I note they've opted to avoid the Prop 65 issue altogether by not being for sale in California. The tin is one of those stiff, hard-to-open types, but I remove the lid without incident.

Not bad looking at all. A couple still have tails, and I see some pelvic fins. But the skin looks silvery and bright. A sip of the red-tinged oil is a bit bland and vegetal. The aroma is of tomato and it overrides any scent of fish.

Digging In

I got ahead of myself and took a bite of fish before taking the photo. What initially looked like three fish turned out to be four. The skin has an irridescent shine through the tomato sauce clinging to it. I see no scales, but would eventually find one or two.

From prior experience, I used a fork to whisk the remaining separated oil and tomato component back together before pouring it all over the fish. There are some small bits of tomato in it, which is encouraging. The ingredients list onion and spices in addition to tomato and salt. The sauce being warmed by the hot rice has bloomed those flavors a bit. It doesn't seem too salty, even with the sodium clocking in at 472mg.

I find the meat reasonably tender and moist enough. But the sauce was still uninspiring, so I added a few drops of Valentina to spice up the last fish. As I've noted previously, I think a lot of vendors are missing the boat by not marketing a spicy tomato version.

Main Takeaways

Meaty and moist pilchards
Bland tomato sauce
Decent value

For $3.29, I didn't come away too disappointed. These were worth the try and the price, IMO.

Brand: Conchita Foods
Description: Sardines in tomato sauce
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4 oz.
Price Range: $3

Fishwife Albacore Tuna with Soy Ginger

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This Fishwife Albacore Tuna with Soy Ginger is a new item at Whole Foods, so new in fact, the master carton hadn't even been opened to put it out onto the shelf yet. It's been a while since I tried a variety of Fishwife tuna, so this was an exciting opportunity to get back into it. Let's see how it goes.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

I don't know what I was expecting, visually. For all the ingredients listed, it looks pretty much like a can of plain tuna. Some broth, a few droplets of oil. Barely any color to the liquid. There's no real aroma that shouts soy sauce, ginger, mirin, leek or garlic (full ingredient list below). A sip of the broth reveals only the most subtle notes of the seasonings. I note dashi on the list as well, and conclude the sensibility here is intended to be decidedly Japanese.

Let's Eat

A nibble of the fish affirms the seasonings have permeated the meat, and perhaps have either masked or neutralized the inherent tuna "tang". A plus for me. The fish extracts from the can in large chunks, with little debris hiding underneath.

The appearance of the liquid remaining in the tin was slightly sauce-like and hinted that it might contain flavor worth not letting go to waste. I poured it all over the fish and rice.

As I ate, I debated repeatedly whether or not to spice this up with something, anything. Furikake, taberu rayu? But I ultimately decided to let it stand on its own. I didn't find it salty at all, despite the 420mg. sodium.

Main Takeaways

Good quality albacore
Delicate seasoning

Ingredients: Albacore Tuna (Fish), Dashi (Tuna, Water), Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (Soy Beans, Salt, Alcohol Vinegar), Olive Oil, Fresh Ginger, Mirin (Glucose, Dextrose, Alcohol, Rice, Koji), Leek, Fresh Garlic, Potato Starch, Sesame Oil (Sesame), Brown Cane Sugar, White Pepper

This tuna wasn't what I expected. And that's not to say it didn't live up to expectations, only that it was something quite different from what I assumed it would be. Given the ingredient list, I kind of assumed an umami bomb, more akin to the Fishwife Smoked Salmon with Sichuan Chili Crisp. In retrospect, however, I think that type of treatment would be overkill on a mild-flavored fish like tuna.

While I won't be sprinting back to the store for another can, I might be tempted if I see it on sale in the future.

Brand: Fishwife
Description: Albacore Tuna with Soy Ginger
Species: Albacore tuna
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.2 oz.
Price Range: $8

Patagonia Provisions Smoked Jack Mackerel

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This Patagonia Provisions Smoked Jack Mackerel is a new item for the company. They already had a smoked mackerel, but this one comes with a story. You may have read recently (early 2026) about the ongoing issue in North Atlantic waters regarding the potential overfishing of mackerel. Global warming has driven stocks of the fish northward to cooler waters, leaving fishermen off the EU and the UK with difficulty making quotas. As a result, Patagonia has moved to sourcing their mackerel from Chile, where the species of mackerel there has managed to rebound from overfishing in the 1990s. Let's try this new offering.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Some beautiful fillets. The initial aroma is tuna-like, but dissipates quickly. The oil, organic EVOO, is a light golden color. A sip of the oil initially tastes like there might be some spice involved, but the ingredients list none. On the finish, it reveals the subtle undertone of the wood smoke.

Time To Eat

It takes a bit of effort to pry the fish from the tin, it's packed in tightly. It looks like three substantial fillets. There's a couple of tablespoons of oil left in the tin, and I'm not letting it go to waste.

An initial bite is somewhat reminiscent of tuna, but with a more satisfying, meatier chew. The package says "use like tuna", but I'm thinking "use like chicken, too". And that's probably because the smoke and texture are giving me charcoal-grilled chicken vibes. I'm impressed by the level of restraint on the smoke, it's just as much as it needs to be, and not one bit more.

The meat is quite rich, and I could agree with the carton calling it two servings. But, of course, I ate the whole thing myself. The good news is that, compared to the old smoked mackerel, for the same serving size, this one has 50 fewer calories (170 vs. 220) and 7 gm. less total fat. So, other than a higher price, this one's a win, nutritionally speaking.

I got this tin from Whole Foods. My usual online sources don't seem to have it stocked yet. Once this one gets fully established in the marketplace, I'm hoping we'll see it on sale from time to time. I'll be going back for more.

Main Takeaways

Rich, meaty fish
Subtle level of smoke
Generous portion

Brand: Patagonia Provisions
Description: Smoked jack mackerel
Species: N/S (Trachurus sp?)
Country of Origin: Chile (processed in Spain)
Source: FAO87, Southeast Pacific
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $8-9