Eva Archives - Sardeenz!

These Eva Adriatic Sardines in Olive Oil were purchased at the same time as the Eva Adriatic Sardines in Vegetable Oil with Lemon. These were $1 more, ostensibly due to the olive oil. Let's see how they fare.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4/8.5.

Not too bad looking. Skin a little rough. Tails, as expected, and a few fins. No scales apparent. The aroma is a bit fishy, maybe a little less fresh than I'd like. A sip of the olive oil is unimpressive, and has taken on hints of the fishiness.

Let's Eat

There appear to be six fish. They want to break up a bit getting them out of the tin. I flicked off the tails as I went. That's just my preference, they're not prickly. I poured most of the remaining olive oil over everything, more to enhance mouthfeel than for flavor.

Working my way through the lot, I note they are tender but not mushy. They are also sufficiently moist. I did, however, end up encountering a few scales as I went

I'm finding them a little bland, though. For better or worse, the fishy aroma hasn't translated to the taste.

Again, I find myself wishing they were a little saltier. To that end, I added a little Lao Gan Ma Fried Chili in Oil to the last fish. It's not terribly spicy or salty, really, but it added a little oomph that was lacking. I also realized the last fish was actually two stuck together, so a bonus there.

I'm not terribly disappointed in these, they were worth the try. I'm glad I already went back and bought four more tins of the lemon variety, which were a dollar cheaper and far better, IMO.

Main Takeaways

Tender, moist fish
Good seven count
A little bland, needed some salt

Brand: Podravka USA / Eva
Description: Sardines in olive oil
Species: Clupea pilchardus (Sardina pilchardus)
Country of Origin: Croatia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $3

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