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Published on Leave a comment on IASA Grilled Sea Bass Fillet in Olive Oil

This IASA Grilled Sea Bass Fillet in Olive Oil came from a local gourmet specialties market some months ago. I figured I had put off opening it long enough. Let's see how it tastes.

IASA Grilled Sea Bass Fillet in Olive Oil carton
IASA Grilled Sea Bass Fillet in Olive Oil open can

You may see the product carton titled either in English or Italian, as mine was. The back of the carton, however, was all in English.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

A nice looking fillet, filling the tin reasonably well. The aroma is mild and fresh. A sip of the nearly clear olive oil gives only a hint of the fish's flavor. There are grill marks on the fillet, but the overall color of the meat doesn't give the impression it was actually cooked that way.

Let's Dig In
IASA Grilled Sea Bass Fillet in Olive Oil over rice

The fillet was difficult to remove from the tin in one piece. It broke apart into several chunky sections.

There is a fairly large amount of oil remaining in the tin. The carton reveals the drained weight to be almost exactly half of the contents. Nevertheless, I poured all of it over the fish and rice.

The meat is incredibly tender, virtually melting in your mouth. The flavor is extremely mild, enough so to make one wish all canned fish fillet were as good. I still tend to believe the grill marks are strictly cosmetic, but the flavor and tenderness made me not really care.

The salt content is low, only 153mg. sodium for the entire tin. And that's fortunate, as anything more would have detracted from the spectacular flavor of the fish.

I searched the tin for an FAO fishing area stamp, but found none. The carton reveals the fish is actually farmed.

Main Takeaways
  • Tender, mild and flavorful fish
  • Simply packed in olive oil and salt
  • A little pricey, but worth it

Brand: IASA
Description: Grilled sea bass fillets in olive oil
Species: Dicentrarchus labrax
Country of Origin: Italy
Source: N/A, Farmed
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 5.11 oz.
Price Range: $12.50

Published on Leave a comment on Season Grilled Mackerel in Olive Oil

I have seen favorable reviews of this lately, and decided to give it my own assessment. This Season Grilled Mackerel in 100% Olive Oil is widely available, typically seen sold alongside other Season Brand tinned fish products in supermarkets and mass retailers.

Season Grilled Mackerel in Olive Oil box
Season Grilled Mackerel in Olive Oil open can
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

Tinned mackerel usually isn't very photogenic unless it's been neatly sliced before packing. Here we have three can-filling fillets, more like bars of fish. Better than the amorphous chunks of some more recent mackerel tastings, though. The aroma is pleasantly fishy, not off-putting. The oil has a clean, neutral taste. The grill marks are hard to discern if they're genuine or applied artificially.

The taste is reminiscent of a mild tuna. But the texture is more firm, meatier. If actually grilled, the process doesn't seem to have added anything in the way of flavor that one might expect. I applied a little Salsa Espinaler to add some seasoning, but was undecided as to whether it was an improvement.

The "new look" carton is chock full of information. Species, catch area, country of origin, nutrition facts are all there.

Overall, this was good. If you'd like a canned fish that's less fishy-tasting than inexpensive tuna at a reasonable price, mackerel is a choice worth investigating. For under $3, I'd buy it again.

Main Takeaways
  • Nice filets
  • Whether the grilling is genuine or added anything is uncertain
  • Refreshing alternative to tuna at a bargain price

See it at Amazon.

Brand: Season Brand, LLC
Description: Grilled Mackerel in 100% Olive Oil
Species: Scomber colias
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.375 oz.
Price Range: $3

Published on Leave a comment on Trader Joe’s Boneless Grilled Sardines

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...

Trader Joe's Boneless Grilled Sardines
Trader Joe's Boneless Grilled Sardines
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