Ati Manel Archives

Ati Manel Sardines in Tomato Sauce

These Ati Manel Sardines in Tomato Sauce came with my last Caputo's order. I have gradually become more accustomed to the idea of sardines packed in tomato sauces, and, having had good experiences with this brand in the past, gave them a try.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Some nice looking sardines, not perfect, but not all torn up, either. The oil is tinted an orange-red, and I am assuming the tomato component has separated and is hiding under the fish. The aroma is subtle, and a sip of the oil doesn't really reveal anything about the tomato.

There appear to be five fish, four of medium size and one larger. I don't see anything in the way of scales or fins.

Let's Do Lunch

After placing them out over rice, the first thing of note is that there really wasn't much in the way of tomato under the fish. The label says olive oil and tomato pulp each contribute 14% of the contents. It seems like far less tomato. I poured everything left in the can over the fish and rice in order to make the best of it. You can see the tomato component was sparse.

The fish are quite tender, even if they didn't fall apart getting them out of the tin. The texture is just short of melt-in-your-mouth.

The fish flavor is good, but the modest amount of tomato is bland and not really bringing anything to the party. They might have benefited from a little more salt, as it felt lower than the 480mg. sodium listed.

I finished the four smaller ones, and then topped the last larger one with some Micro Pharms Fried Chili Oil. The added salt and spice of the pepper perked things up nicely.

Main Takeaways

Tender, flavorful pilchards
Tomato lacking and bland
Needed a little salt or something to liven things up

The Maria Organic Sardines in Tomato I recently tried had far more and much better tomato than these. My expectation, these being their stablemate under the 100 Misterios umbrella, was that the quality would be similar. Sadly not, at least in terms of the tomato. The upside is the fish themselves are of the quality expected from Ati Manel, a brand known for value in Portugese sardines.

Brand: 100 Misterios / Ati Manel
Description: Sardines in tomato sauce
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $7

Ati Manel Mackerel Filets in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I got these Ati Manel Mackerel Filets in Olive Oil from Caputo's a few months back. After trying a variety of different tins in the interim, it seemed like a good time to revisit mackerel. You may remember my experience with another Ati Manel mackerel did not go so well. This time, I'm sure it will be different.

Initial impression upon opening the can: Relief.

Some gorgeous mackerel filets. There's no discernable aroma coming from the can. The oil is transparent, and a sip of it is neutral.

A small bite of fish reveals a rich, mild flavor with none of that "tang" for which tuna is generally known. And I think that's what attracts me most to mackerel. The texture is firm but still tender at the same time, the meat flaking readily.

Mackerel Three Ways

I'm able to pry the filets from the can mostly intact. There are four in total. There was about a quarter inch of oil left in the can, and I poured about half over the fish and rice.

One filet I ate plain, just to assess flavor and salt level. The meat is not juicy per se, but at the same time not dry. The saltiness was very subdued, almost undetectable, which ended up being a good thing, as I was about to kick things up a bit.

Bring On The Umami

I added two different toppings. Upper in the photo is some garlic furikake. I thought its delicate flavors and relatively low salt level made for a delicious combination.

Below that is some Fly By Jing Xtra Crunchy Sichuan Chili Crisp. It's quite a bit saltier, and I probably should have used less. I scraped a good bit of it aside after the first bites, leaving only a little on the fish. That was an improvement, as it spiced up the fish without totally overpowering its flavor.

Overall, a good can of fish. A little pricey at $8, but certainly worth it.

Main Takeaways

Rich, mild flavor
Firm but tender
Generous portion of intact, whole filets

Brand: 100 Misterios / Ati Manel
Description: Mackerel Filets in Olive Oil
Species: Scomber japonicus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $8

Ati Manel Garfish in Spiced Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

This Ati Manel Garfish in Spiced Olive Oil was also from an order from Caputo's about three months ago. I'd seen it reviewed, largely knew what to expect, so it wasn't like I was putting off opening the can. But, when I finally did so, it was with a modicum of apprehension, the horse mackerel experience being still fresh in my mind.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

Very interesting appearance. Slender, tubular fish. Shiny skin with no apparent scales. The oil is tinged red, I assume from the pepper. The aroma is of a fresh fish, but not like that of sardines or tuna, or even mackerel. Different, but not bad.

A sip of the oil is only mildly seasoned. Other than the fish, olive oil and salt, the only other listed ingredient is "chilli". But it's not hot at all. Nothing hitting the back of the throat.

The fish are firm, and pull from the can completely intact. A sample taste is both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. The meat is tender, not dry at all. It's sort of like sardines meets mackerel.

Let's Proceed

I put them out over rice, and found something vegetal underneath. Initially, it looked like a sliver of carrot, but I knew it shouldn't be. Apparently, the pepper was laid open, ostensibly to release its flavor.

It wasn't hot, though, having more of a pickled taste. If anything, the predominant seasoning was the salt, and, at 400 mg, I thought its level was just right.

Cautiously, I poured only about half the oil left in the can over it all.

Pierced with a fork, the fish reluctantly separated into bite-size pieces. As I went, I still wasn't getting any heat, but the mild seasoning was pleasant enough. I dumped the remaining oil over the rest.

Overall, I'm glad I tried this. I don't know if it made me want to run out and buy more garfish, but the experience was worthwhile.

Main Takeways

Fresh fish flavor with a meaty texture
Not really all that spicy

Brand: 100 Misterios / Ati Manel
Description: Garfish in Spiced Olive Oil
Species: Belone belone
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $8

Ati Manel Sardines in Olive Oil with Lemon

DeenLeave a comment

Ati Manel Sardines in Olive Oil with Lemon, another entry in the quest for lemon-y sardine goodness. To date, the JOSE Gourmet have been the ones to beat. I thought the Ati Manel spiced sardines were really good, and I hoped these would be, too.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.6/5.

A few fractions deducted for the roughed up skin. No scales noted. There was a brief whiff of lemon when the lid was cracked. A sip of the oil was not promising, however. First impressions can sometimes be wrong, though.

The first bite was a bit of a revelation. The lemon was there, and it hit just about right. Fishing around in the can, there was a small half slice of lemon. The pulp still retained its acidity. My thought as I worked through the rest of the can was how consistently the lemon flavor had infused the fish, right down to the last bite. And that was without consuming any of the lemon pulp with the bites of fish. Lastly, just the right amount of salt, coupled with mild-tasting, tender fish, made these a real winner.

It's hard to say if these bested their 100 Misterios lemony stable mate, JOSE Gourmet, but they are a definite re-buy, and a dollar cheaper.

Main Takeaways

Lemon not initially apparent
Mild tasting, tender fish
Lemon infused consistently throughout

Competitively priced in lots of three at Amazon.

Brand: 100 Misterios / Ati Manel
Description: Sardines in Olive Oil with lemon
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $8

Ati Manel Sardines in Spiced Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I received these Ati Manel Sardines in Spiced Olive Oil at the same time as the horse mackerel that I wasn't too fond of. I hoped these would be different.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

Four nice sized pilchards, better four than three. The skin was largely intact, and there were only a couple scales noted. Being "spiced", I expected the usual pickle, carrot, peppercorn, clove and bay leaf. The front of the carton said "picantes" (hot), and the back said chili pepper, so I also expected some heat. A sip of the oil was neutral, until it hit the back of my throat. Then it was, "Whoa!", picante is right.

The fish were firm enough to lift from the can without breaking, but the meat was nice and tender. The spines on these were still small, so they didn't detract from the tenderness. There were pickle, carrot and a small chili pepper under the fish. No clove or bay leaf. Hard to believe just that small chili brought so much heat. They were noticeably a bit salty, too, but not overly so. Even though the pickle and carrot were evidently just for show, overall, I thought everything balanced out quite well.

Ati Manel is connected to JOSE Gourmet, ABC+, and MARIA Organic, all of which are under the umbrella of 100 Misterios. The firm is largely credited with having revived the declining Portuguese canned fish industry in the mid-2000s, and also helping to elevate Portugese gastronomy. Of the four, Ati Manel is intended to provide high QPR offerings.

Main Takeaways

Peppery heat that sneaks up on you
A bit salty, but not a deal killer
Good value among premium small producer brands

See Ati Manel at Amazon.

Brand: 100 Misterios / Ati Manel
Description: Sardines in Spiced Olive Oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $8

Ati Manel Horse Mackerel in Olive Oil with Basil

DeenLeave a comment

I ordered these Ati Manel Horse Mackerel in Olive Oil with Basil to both try something unfamiliar and also to make my order a little more profitable for the seller. They don't charge for shipping on any of their tinned fish, so I feel like it's only fair that I try to be a good trading partner and order at least 5 or 6 cans at a time.

Initial impression upon opening the can: Puzzled.

I thought, this being mackerel, I was going to see either a big chunk of meat or some nice slices. There was no photo of the open can on the website. I had to look at the carton twice to make sure I hadn't opened a can of sardines by mistake. But, no, I hadn't. Looking closer, yep, those are pectoral fins. They all had dorsal fins, too. The tails were mostly trimmed.

There wasn't much of an aroma, fish-wise or seasoning-wise. I know that the smell of fresh basil is quickly lost to the heat of cooking. The ingredients, other than the fish, say olive oil and "basil sauce", which is comprised of EVOO, peeled tomato, lemon juice and basil. Unfortunately, none of that really brought anything to the overall taste experience. In fact, I didn't get any of the taste for which I have come to enjoy canned mackerel. I think if the flavor of these had really knocked my socks off, I might have more easily overlooked the finny presentation. But it didn't.

I thought this was interesting. I noticed the box was a little beat-up looking, a little smashed. Then I opened it. The carton is about 20% deeper than it needs to be, relative to the depth of the can. Maybe they save money by not having to buy different size cartons.

Main Takeaways

Wasn't expecting whole fish
Too many fins
Basil flavor mostly cooked out

The vendor also sells through Amazon, but I don't see this one there. Other Ati Manel selections, though, are at the same price as direct from them, when purchased in lots of three. Free shipping if you have Amazon Prime.

Brand: 100 Misterios / Ati Manel
Description: Horse Mackerel in Olive Oil with Basil
Species: Trachurus trachurus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.2 oz.
Price Range: $8