boneless Archives - Sardeenz!

Wild Planet Skinless & Boneless Sardines

Trying these to round out my recent tastings of several Wild Planet cans. Officially described as Wild Planet Sardines Skinless & Boneless Fillets in EVOO. These are priced competitively with the King Oscar.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

We have four substantial pilchards in EVOO. There is no overt aroma of anything. Digging in, they are packed tight enough to make extracting a whole fillet impossible. The flavor is mild, kind of bland, and a bit on the dry side.

The taste of the oil is neutral, maybe a little bit peppery. I had hoped, being listed as organic EVOO, it might have brought more to the table. It also could have benefited by a pinch more salt.

To be honest, I have become reluctant to try to solve the shortcomings of bland fish by recurrently hitting them with dashes of Salsa Espinaler. In such cases, it often becomes all you can taste, sort of like putting cranberry sauce on white meat turkey.

Anyway, at $3 a can, these are decent enough. They might fare better included as a protein in a salad, where the fish, a dressing and other components can complement each other.

I am curious as to why, when Wild Planet can source these pilchards from Morocco, they choose to source their sardines with lemon as a Northwest Pacific species from Thailand.

Main Takeaways

Not our favorite boneless skinless pilchard
Unexpectedly bland
Cheap enough to consider using as an ingredient, rather than for consumption alone

See Wild Planet at Amazon.

Brand: Wild Planet
Description: Sardines skinless & boneless in EVOO
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.25 oz.
Price Range: $3

Mina Skinless Boneless Sardines in EVOO

DeenLeave a comment

I don't see these Mina Skinless Boneless Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil anywhere locally except one supermarket. There, they kind of stick out like a sore thumb among the multitude of cans of Beach Cliff and Chicken of the Sea. The store must not sell many, as I noted the best by date was only 18 months away. They were a little pricey, but I bought a can to try, anyway.

Interesting carton. The repeating graphic is four fish tail-to-tail. Gold leaf accents give an upscale touch.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.75/5.

There was enough headroom for maybe another fish in there. At 4.4 oz. listed weight, I expected a tightly-packed can. Clean aroma. A sip of the oil had a peppery note, which I attributed to the EVOO itself and considered a positive.

The ingredients list only the fish, EVOO and salt. Very tender fish with a nice mild flavor. Not dry. I ate them with no extras or add-ons. I found them comparable to King Oscar, except for the loose packing.

Main Takeaways

Might have been shorted a fish
Nice EVOO
King Oscar still our go-to for boneless skinless pilchards

See it at Amazon. About $3 per can in quantity there.

Brand: Mina/Casablanca Foods, Inc.
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: $4-5

Cento Skinless Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I see these Cento Skinless Boneless Sardines in a lot of stores. I'm familiar with Cento mainly for their tomato products: crushed, San Marzano, sauce and paste. Their salt cured anchovies also seem quite ubiquitous. I've always been satisfied with their other products, so I decided to give these a try.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.2/5.

Four good-sized pilchards, fewer and larger than my preference. No aroma to speak of. The oil is clear, and neutral in taste. The meat is firm but a tad on the dry side, leading it to be a little bland. I also found some skin, a scale or two, and some spine in one of them. Not much information on the can other than "product of Morocco". No real surprise there.

They were a little over $3 at Whole Foods, but could probably be found for less elsewhere. As skinless & boneless pilchards go, I've been more satisfied with the King Oscar and the Brunswick in terms of taste, packing, processing cleanness and price.

Main Takeaways

Not the prettiest boneless skinless pilchards
Dry and bland
Competitors in price range do a better job

See it at Amazon.

Brand: Cento Fine Foods, Inc.
Description: Skinless & Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.375 oz.
Price Range: $3-4

Trader Joe’s Boneless Grilled Sardines

DeenLeave a comment

These sounded good, so I picked up a couple of cans. At only $2, the risk of disappointment was small. Fully described, they are Trader Joe's Wild Caught Boneless Grilled Sardines in Olive Oil. Whew...

Initial impression upon opening the can: Confused.

When I opened the can, I had to look at the lid to make sure I hadn't somehow bought mackerel. It smelled like sardines. And after tasting a bite, I still wasn't sure, The can says "Ingredients: sardine, olive oil, salt, natural flavor." and "Contains sardine." Yeah, but what species? It's not herring.

The can also says "Product of Tunisia", so I'm really at a loss to say what it is other than slices of a fish with some skin left on the back side and grill marks on the top. It wasn't really possible to determine if there were grill marks elsewhere than the top layer of fish, nor if they were real grill marks at all. I'll have to investigate further with the next can.

The fish does have the subtle taste I would associate with having seen some time on a back yard grill, but maybe less "char-grilled" and more "one that needs its grates cleaned". The "slightly smoky" on the lid is apt. The packing oil was neutral enough to not interfere. I think at $2 these warrant a re-buy, even if I don't know what fish this is. Sourced from Tunisia, I can only assume it's from the Mediterranean.

Follow up: A revisit of these 10 days later revealed a troubling inconsistency. The "spent some time on a well-used back yard charcoal grill" flavor was absent, as was any evidence of seasoning, even saltiness. What wasn't absent were bones, albeit very fine and soft ones, but bones nonetheless. These are cheap enough to perhaps overlook the incongruity. Caveat emptor.

Third and final assessment a week later: I think "spineless" is really what these are, as there are indeed some very fine rib bones that remain after processing. The back yard grill taste was there again, but I have to say, overall, I won't be revisiting these after I decide how to dispose of the two cans I have left. The $2 is better spent elsewhere.

Main Takeaways

Mystery fish species
Unappetizing grill flavor
Inconsistent, can to can

Brand: Trader Joe's
Description: Wild Caught Boneless(?) Grilled Sardines in Olive Oil
Species: Unspecified
Country of Origin: Tunisia
Source: FAO37 Mediterranean Sea(?)
Skin/Bones: Yes/No(Maybe?)
Net Wt: 3.88 oz.
Price Range: $2

King Oscar Skinless Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

King Oscar Skinless and Boneless Sardines packed in olive oil. This selection is a great introduction to the world of sardines. Firm flesh and mild taste with none of the characteristics those new to sardines may find unappetizing. Available in several flavored variations including Spanish and Mediterranean styles.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

King Oscar tends to have some of the most visually appealing packing of all the major commercial brands. These skinless and boneless pilchards are no exception.

King Oscar packaging can sometimes be confusing, as some carton markings have a similar appearance. Buyers need to pay attention to the verbiage just below the color-coded banner. Terms like "two layer", "finest brisling", "12-22 fish" or "12+ fish" are an indication that you'll be getting a smaller species of sardines that are traditionally (and for practical reasons) not skinless or boneless.

The King Oscar brand is respected and regarded as a standard by which to judge other brands. Their cans are typically packed to full capacity, and the contents rarely disappoint.

Brand: King Oscar
Description: Sardines in Olive Oil
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.38 oz.
Price Range: $2-3

See it on Amazon