olive oil Archives

Mabuti Sardines in Pure Olive Oil and Tomato Sauce

These Mabuti Sardines in Pure Olive Oil and Tomato Sauce also came from International Loft. Based upon my experience with the spiced variety, I am hoping these will be as impressive, but there's an unexpected aspect to this tin I'm curious about. Time to find out.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

I'll cut right to the chase. The unusual thing about this tin is its date codes. The spiced variety I received at the same time was imprinted 145/25 and DEC/31/32. I took that to mean canned on the 145th day of 2025 (over a year ago) and an expiration date 7-ish years thereafter. But this tin had 014/22 and DEC/31/29. Again, a 7-plus year gap, but why are these more than three years older than the other? I decided to be optimistic and hope what I had in hand was potentially a vintage sardine experience.

Out of the unblemished wrapper, the tin was not rusty nor did it appear compromised in any way I could see. I forged ahead, and opened it. There was no suspicious aroma or appearance of degradation. In fact, they were not much different looking than almost any other tin of sardines in tomato sauce I've tried. Some loose skin like the other tin, but to a lesser extent. No scales apparent.

Let's See What We've Got Here

The sauce has a good bright color, with the appearance of crushed tomato in olive oil. A sip of it is somewhat bland, there being no additional seasoning to it other than salt.

In this case we have 6 fish as opposed to the 8 in the other tin, only mildly disappointing. Lifting them from the tin, they are not the "fall-apart-y" tender I was anticipating from the extra time in the can. I poured the remaining sauce over everything.

Digging in, they are still firm and have quite good sardine flavor that shines through the just-serviceable tomato sauce. I wouldn't characterize them as dry, but the moisture level I rate as acceptable. They're not too salty, despite the stated 500mg. sodium.

These pale in head-to-head comparison with the spiced version I received. That may or may not, however, have more to do with the three year difference in harvest and packing. Not the vintage experience the age might have implied, but then I wasn't paying for vintage sardines, either. My advice, if you order some, is stock up on the spiced and maybe try one can of these.

Main Takeaways

Good sardine flavor
Unremarkable tomato sauce
Not the vintage sardine experience cans of this age often exhibit

Brand: Pinhais/Mabuti
Description: Sardines in olive oil and tomato sauce
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.17 oz.
Price Range: $6

Mabuti Spiced Sardines in Pure Olive Oil

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These Mabuti Spiced Sardines in Pure Olive Oil came from International Loft, where they had been out of stock for quite some time, apparently long enough that their page had been removed from the website's menu. The brand is produced by Pinhais, the cannery who also brings you Nuri and the less frequently-seen (in the US) flagship Pinhais label. These are a bit unusual in that the tin is only 3.17oz, whereas most hover in the 4oz. range.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

Well, there's a surprise. Small can, but also small fish, which is a good thing. I count 8 sardines, intentionally packed in an interlaced arrangement. The skin roughed up on most, and they're really wedged in there. No fins or tails. What may be scales, I hope is only some loose skin.

The aroma is of the usual spice items, which I expect to find underneath the fish. A sip of the oil is similar.

Let's Eat

Beneath the fish I found the usual suspects: two small piri peppers, a pickle slice, a paper thin piece of carrot, a fragment of bay leaf, one clove and a lone peppercorn. I strained the oil remaining in the tin over everything.

Digging in, the fish are incredibly tender, and the chili pepper and spice flavors have infused them quite well. So well, in fact, that I wish I'd bought more than the one tin.

Thankfully, no scales. Apparently it was just loose skin. I didn't dissect any of the fish, but I assume there were bones, which were soft enough as to be undetected.

The salt level is just right, the label listing an average 360mg. sodium.

The wrapper indicates these were canned on the 145th day of 2025 (late May), if I'm reading it right. Makes me wonder what took this tin so long (over a year) to get over here to the US.

Main Takeaways

Small pilchards a plus
Incredibly tender
Spicy seasoning spot on

Honestly, I'm not really sure what this sub-brand is supposed to represent. The tin is small, but the price is on par (until recently) with Nuri. Certainly not the prettiest tin of fish, but the size and count are both plusses for which others charge a premium. Then, there is the seasoning, every bit as good as the best spiced sardines out there. I recommend trying some before they disappear again.

Brand: Pinhais/Mabuti
Description: Spiced Sardines in olive oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.17 oz.
Price Range: $6

IASA Grilled Sea Bass Fillet in Olive Oil

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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.

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

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 package and can for an FAO fishing area stamp, but found none. The carton reveals the fish is actually farmed.

Although a bit pricey, a tin worth experiencing. Highly recommended.

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

JOSÉ Gourmet Sardines with Lemon in Olive Oil

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Pay attention, reader. These JOSÉ Gourmet Sardines with Lemon in Olive Oil are, to date, the manifestation of what I think "sardines with lemon" should be. And I mean that in all respects.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

These are some really nice looking fish. There was no promise of what size these would be on the carton, but I'm really happy that they're smaller. Hopefully, that's consistent from can to can.

There's no overtly fishy aroma. The oil is tinged slightly yellow, which I hoped meant good things, either in terms of olive oil flavor or lemon-wise. I tasted the oil, as I usually do, and found a subtle yet realistic lemony essence.

Pulling fish from the can, they are firm enough. But tasting them, they are beautifully melt-in-your-mouth tender. No scales evident at all. Almost as perfect as a skin-on, bone-in pilchard can be. The lemon flavor is spot-on. There's a half slice in the bottom of the can. It retains its citrus flavor well enough so that bits of it consumed with the fish only improve the experience. Even the rind is worth tasting. Highly recommended.

I happened to crack open this can while enjoying a glass of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Its own lemony notes complemented the sardines well, its bright acidity cutting through the richness of the fish and olive oil nicely.

Revisit and Update

It's been about a year since I reviewed these, and I decided to pull another tin from my stash to see if they were still as good as I remembered.

Only four, larger fish this time. Some skin broken, even missing on a couple. Not nearly as pretty as the original can. Initial impression points reduced to 4.6/5.

I dumped them out, oil and all, over rice. They are as tender and moist as before, despite the downgraded appearance and larger size. The lemon flavor might have been a tad less impressive, but the lemon slice retained some of its citrus tang. Still recommended.

Main Takeaways

Really nice looking fish, but can vary
Top notch lemon flavor
The lemon sardine to beat

See it at Amazon. They are well-priced there when purchased in packs of three or more.

Brand: 100 Misterios / JOSÉ Gourmet
Description: Sardines with Lemon in Olive Oil
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $9

Safe Catch Wild Sardines in Olive Oil with Lemon

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These Safe Catch Wild Sardines in Olive Oil with Lemon were a new item at a local independent supermarket. New enough that I wasn't able to find an image of the carton online anywhere. Not even on the Safe Catch website, which makes no mention of them selling sardines at all. Puzzling.

I thought the "bone-in with skin" banner was odd. Usually, that's assumed if other than boneless/skinless.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

Some husky pilchards. No scales apparent, and the skin is in reasonably nice condition. Fresh aroma from the can. A sip of the oil hints at the lemon.

Let's Dig In

There are five fish total in the deep tin. A slice of lemon in the bottom still retains some brightness of flavor. The fish tended to break in two somewhat as they were lifted from the can. I poured the remaining olive oil in the tin over everything, hoping to maximize any lemon flavor.

The first bite is both good and bad. The meat is tender, almost too tender to the point of maybe mushy, but not quite. It's acceptably moist, but not what I would characterize as juicy. The bad part is the clump of scales stuck to the roof of my mouth, but it only happened one more time after, so not a deal breaker. There was also some random detritus I couldn't identify that kind of diminished the overall experience.

I thought they could have been a little saltier, sodium is an average 310mg. It might have also perked up the lemon, which was subtle but detectable throughout.

At the $4.39 price point, I expected a little better processing, e.g. the scales and detritus. Hopefully, it's just not a representative sample can.

Main Takeaways

Tender, moist fish, but maybe borderline mushy
A little more lemon flavor would have helped
Some unwelcome scales and mystery bits

Brand: Safe Catch
Description: Sardines in olive oil with lemon
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $4-5

Eva Adriatic Sardines in Olive Oil

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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, presumably 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 excessively 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

Delamaris Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil

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These Delamaris Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil were found as a new item at a local international market. I'm always on the lookout for a good tin of mackerel fillets at a reasonable price. At $3.49, these were worth a try.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Some nice looking fillets. The extra chunk filling in space at the lower right to me says customer first impressions matter. The aroma is of fresh fish, mild and slightly tuna-like. I see no bones or skin.

A sip of the transparent, pale green olive oil gives a clean taste. The front label just says "olive oil", but the ingredients list "refined olive oil, extra virgin olive oil", and you can taste the quality of it.

Let's Eat

Altogether, there was one large chunk, a smaller chunk underneath, and that bonus piece. The meat is firm, and the pieces remain intact as they are extracted from the tin. There is still quite a bit of the olive oil with some floating mackerel bits in it left in the can, and not wanting to waste any, I poured it all over the fish and rice.

The fish is firm and toothsome on the palate, but in no way dry. It has a mild, buttery flavor that I always say makes me prefer it over tuna. Good mackerel is like a good steak.

The sodium is listed as an above average 510mg. but I found the fish not at all salty, and quite frankly didn't miss it.

Main Takeaways

Mild, buttery fish
Good mackerel flavor
Really good olive oil

All in all, a really nice tin of mackerel fillets. I've paid over twice as much for similar, and wasn't twice as impressed as I was by this one. I'll be going back for more.

I noted the company website says they pack in a combo of EVOO and sunflower oil. I also noted the tin had an adhesive label covering the entire bottom. Peeling it back, I expected to see conflicting information printed directly on the tin, but it was totally blank.

Also odd, I thought, was the inclusion of both the California Prop65 warning as well as a "Not for sale in the State of California" statement.

Brand: Delamaris
Description: Mackerel Fillets in Olive Oil
Species: Scomber japonicus
Country of Origin: Slovenia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $3-4