I got these Ferrigno Sardines with Preserved Lemon on a recent trip to World Market. A product of France, they are labeled "Sardine Au Citron Confit". The artwork on the can depicts, for whatever reason, a nun and a gendarme in a Peugeot Deux Chevaux chasing a fish wearing a sunhat and sunglasses driving a convertible roadster.
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.
Four pilchards looking a little rough from being stuffed into a shallow can. A sip of the oil is more vegetal than lemon. I see that it is sunflower oil. I check the can to find ingredients listing onions, green olives, oregano and pepper. Oh, and preserved lemon.
A card slipped under the pull ring contains the US English particulars, with the French on the can lid underneath. It indicates these could either be from FAO37 (Mediterranean) or FOA34 (Eastern Central Atlantic), but to check the processing codes printed on the can at time of packing to see which one. These were FAO34, which the card also confirmed.
I pried out one fish, very firm, to try on its own. A very meaty pilchard. In the space left, I see there's a lot going on in the bottom of the can, so I dumped it out over rice.
So, as you can see, there's a lot more than just lemon. Quite a bit of onion, and some green olive slices. The orange bits turned out to be lemon rind.
Digging in, an oregano-laced onion flavor predominates, with a flash of citrus showing up in random bites. The fish are firm and meaty, able to be divided by the pierce of a fork into discrete chunks. Melt-in-your-mouth tender, no, but not bad.
This take on sardine seasoning is interesting, but not what I bought them for. I guess confit should have been a clue there was going to be more than just lemon, and I should have inspected the label more closely.
I don't know that I'd buy these again, considering I was just looking for a lemon-y sardine, but the experience of them was worthwhile.
Main Takeaways
- Not the prettiest can of fish, but tender
- More onion and oregano than anything else
- Lemon flavor lost in the mix
Brand: Ferrigno
Description: Sardines with lemon confit
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: France
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.05 oz.
Price Range: $7-8