Pollastrini Archives

Pollastrini Sardines in Spiced Tomato Sauce

These Pollastrini Sardines in Spiced Tomato Sauce came from International Loft, and they round out the four varieties of Pollastrini tinned sardines they currently stock.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Reasonably nice looking, with skin only slightly roughed up. There are two small peppers. The sauce appears thick and has not separated from the olive oil as sometimes happens. The aroma is of tomato and fresh sardine. A taste of the sauce is encouraging.

Let's Eat

I just dumped the can directly over the rice. Only a little sauce was left in the tin, owing to how tightly the fish were packed in there and how the viscosity of the sauce made it cling to them. There are six fish total, with one being smaller than the rest.

The first bite caught me off guard, as it made a squishy sound when I pierced the fish with the fork. I quickly realized it was one of the peppers underneath.

The fish are quite tender, and only maybe slightly what you could characterize as dry. The sauce made up for it however, and its spiciness was spot on. One of the better representations of spicy tomato sauce, in fact.

Saltiness was about right, the label listing 240mg. sodium.

Country of Origin

You may have noted the tan piece of tape on the image above. It's part of a label covering the bottom area of the lid and there to obscure the designation "Product of Italy". For reasons not quite certain, Pollastrini has for some time been sourcing sardines from and processing them in Croatia, Italy's neighbor across the Adriatic Sea. What's under the black part doesn't appear to differ from the label covering it.

An add-on label on the bottom of the tin also revises the sourcing, but peeling it back reveals a more interesting difference. The label says "sardines, tomato concentrate, sunflower oil, chili, water, sugar, potato starch, salt". Behind it, the can says "sardines, tomato sauce, olive oil, celery, hot pepper, natural flavours, spices and salt". So, a little more going on here than just country of origin. The International Loft website listing still claims olive oil.

Main Takeaways

Tender sardines
Spicy tomato flavor well-represented
Substitution of sunflower oil puzzling

Brand: Pollastrini
Description: Sardines in spiced tomato sauce
Species: Clupea pilchardus (Sardina pilchardus)
Country of Origin: Italy/Croatia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $6

Pollastrini Sardines in Tomato Sauce

DeenLeave a comment

These Pollastrini Sardines in Tomato Sauce came from International Loft. I've tried a couple of Pollastrini selections before, and this tin was one of a few unfamiliar ones from them that I ordered during a recent sale.

Before I even opened the tin, I was a bit confused. Pollastrini is an Italian brand, reportedly one of, if not the last remaining producers of Mediterranean sardines. What struck me as odd was the label applied by the US importer, which had a cannery code indicating product of Croatia. Also perplexing was the ingredient list on the applied label contradicted the ingredients underneath it on the tin itself. This gave me pause, as the tin listing includes olive oil, celery and spices whereas the label specified sunflower oil, potato starch and sugar.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

The initial aroma is of tomato. The sauce looks homogenous, the oil not having separated as is often the case. A sip of it has a certain brightness to it. The fish themselves are mostly intact with little roughed up skin. The "bars" across them must be some artifact of the canning process.

The tin is 3.5 oz, a little light as compared to the average. But although shallower, it is also wider than normal, and in this case capable of accommodating six fish.

Time To Eat

The fish are firm, and come out of the can intact. There are a few scales, but no tails or fins. They are mostly uniform in size with one larger exception.

I poured most of the sauce remaining in the tin over everything. In a bit of a departure from normal, I'm using a brown and wild rice combo instead of my usual basmati. The sauce is nothing special, but at least does not have an overcooked taste.

Digging in, the meat is firm, with no dryness on the palate. They have a good, fresh flavor. Mediterranean sardines sometimes have a different mouthfeel from those harvested from other regions. I have seen elsewhere the texture of the fish in this same tin referred to as anchovy-like. Having recently tried the Patagonia Provisions Spicy White Anchovies, I can see where that impression comes from.

I found the salt level acceptable. Depending on whether you go by the tin or by the applied label, sodium is either a moderately high 620mg. or a moderately low 240mg. My impression is of the latter.

Main Takeaways

Fresh-tasting, meaty sardines
Smaller net weight than average, but six fish a plus
Tomato sauce just OK

Brand: Pollastrini
Description: Sardines in tomato sauce
Species: Clupea pilchardus (Sardina pilchardus)
Country of Origin: Italy/Croatia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $6

Pollastrini Sardines in Sunflower Oil

DeenLeave a comment

These Pollastrini Sardines in Sunflower Oil came from International Loft. As with other Pollastrini tins in the order, this one also includes an add-on label indicating sourcing from Croatia. I've liked other selections from them so far, and wanted to see what their unembellished, plain sardines in oil were like.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

The skins are a little rough, but that won't affect taste. The aroma from the tin is solely of the fish, and a little stronger than I'm used to. But not in a bad way. No scales apparent, but I see some tails, typical of Italian packed sardines. They're easy enough to cut off.

A sip of the oil is neutral, as sunflower usually is. Pollastrini produces plain sardines packed in olive oil, and I'm not sure why International Loft doesn't appear to stock them. They do stock the spicy sardines in olive oil version. But, if the fish have a good taste on their own, though, the type of oil isn't necessarily critical.

Let's Eat

Pulling them from the tin, they are quite tender, almost falling apart. The few tails I saw, I easily cut away with a fork. There are six fish, once again testament to Pollastrini's ability to pack more fish in a smaller can than their competitors.

What little oil was left in the tin, I poured over the fish, attempting to avoid the skin and tails debris.

Digging in, they are as tender as they seemed. I found, however, as I worked my way through them, the taste to be somewhat earthy, maybe even muddy. Not a lack of freshness, but something intrinsic to the fish, a blandness. Disappointing.

They lacked salt, but even the addition of a salty condiment didn't materially improve things. Sodium is listed as 550mg, but they tasted nowhere near that salty.

Main Takeaways

Tender fish
Good count
Unimpressive flavor

Brand: Pollastrini
Description: Sardines in sunflower oil
Species: Clupea pilchardus (Sardina pilchardus)
Country of Origin: Italy/Croatia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $6

Pollastrini Spicy Sardines Revisited

DeenLeave a comment

I'm not sure why I bought this second can of Pollastrini Spicy Sardines. Maybe I thought I was re-buying another brand I liked. Or perhaps it was because the vendor was having a sale, and the one additional can put me over the amount for free shipping. Looking back, the first time I tried this particular tin, I thought the fish were good, but the spicy part was lacking. Anyway, it ended up being an opportunity for redemption.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

They look pretty much the same as the last time, one exception being far more peppers. The first can had only three, whereas this one has at least seven visible. As before, and as with other Italian sardines, they are pilchards with tail left on. I see a few fins.

The aroma is of fresh fish. A sip of the olive oil has a little heat, perhaps more than I recall from the first tin.

Let's Eat

There are eight fish total, one more than last time. I am impressed by canneries that are able put more fish in smaller tins than the competition.

The fish lift out of the tin mostly intact. Dividing them with a fork, they are quite tender.

On the palate, the extra peppers have done their duty, infusing the fish with an even, moderate heat and spice. The meat is satisfyingly tender. I didn't find them too salty, even though the label lists 550mg. sodium.

Main Takeaways

Tender, flavorful fish
Good spice and heat from the peppers
Don't judge a brand by just one tin

I'm glad I bought these again, and intend to in the future. Hopefully, those will match these.

One More Thing

All the Pollastrini tins I received on this last order had this label on them. I was confused about why a tin from Italy would have labeling indicating sourcing from Croatia. I reached out to the vendor for clarification, but have not received a response.

Croatia is closer to Italy than most people probably realize. If not for a finger of Slovenia reaching out to the sea between them, the two would share a border. Croatia lies directly east of Italy, across the Adriatic Sea, with as little as 53 miles between them at one point. My assumption is that circumstances must sometimes require additional processing capability, and a Croatian cannery steps in to fill the need. Or perhaps boats are making catches destined for Pollastrini closer to the Croatian coast, and processing them there makes more logistical sense.

You can see from this particular can, that the tin itself bears cannery codes from both Italy and Croatia. What then necessitates the additional label, I'm not sure without removing it. My guess would be, if the tin is printed solely in Italian, that the label is simply providing information in English. But there is verbiage in English visible outside the label. There must be some US requirement the tin lacks but the label fulfills. Who knows?

Brand: Pollastrini
Description: Spicy sardines in olive oil
Species: Clupea pilchardus (Sardina pilchardus)
Country of Origin: Italy/Croatia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $6

Pollastrini Spicy Sardines in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

It's unusual that the opportunity arises to compare two closely-related cans back-to-back such as these Pollastrini Spicy Sardines in Olive Oil and their vintage counterpart. By all accounts, the vintage version should have provided a superior experience. Let's take a look at what I found.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

They appear very much the same as the vintage version, with one exception: There are a few small peppers. As before, they still retain their tails. There are seven fish in the can. There's a clean, fresh fish aroma. A sip of the oil, like the vintage version, has only the most subtle amount of heat.

Extracting fish from the can, they are tender, wanting to break in half somewhat easily. I note a few scales, but nothing major. I tried a pepper to see how hot it was. Not very.

Now for the real test. How do they compare to their vintage cousins? A bite consisting of half a fish is satisfyingly tender. The pepper hasn't substantially translated to the fish. As I continue through the can, I find myself wishing they were a tad saltier. Not that they were bland.

As sardines go, these were great flavor-wise and texturally. Not dry at all. Tails aside, I really liked the fact that there were seven in the can, as opposed to four or three. Or sometimes even two. Nine out of ten times, smaller pilchards translates to more tender and flavorful fish.

The date code on the tin indicates these were canned in late 2024. All things considered, the time between canning and consumption wasn't terribly different from the vintage version, about a year. Did it make a difference? To my palate, not really. Three cans of the regular version can be had for the less than the price of two cans of the vintage. I think I'd be happier going that way, if I'm being honest.

Main Takeaways

Good quality, flavorful fish
The "spicy" is again underrepresented
I'd buy these again, and they made me want to try other Pollastrini regular tins

Update: And I did try these again. See what I thought in Pollastrini Spicy Sardines Revisited.

Brand: Pollastrini
Description: Spicy sardines in olive oil
Species: Clupea pilchardus (Sardina pilchardus)
Country of Origin: Italy
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $6

Pollastrini Vintage 2023 Spicy Sardines

DeenLeave a comment

I picked up these Pollastrini Vintage 2023 Spicy Sardines in Olive Oil on a bit of a whim. The concept of improving sardines by aging is not unknown to me, but I rarely see any available from the usual sources. I decided to see if there was anything to it, or was it just hype.

"Millesimate" is an Italian term roughly meaning vintage. But applied to sardines, it means those caught between September and December, when the fish are at their meatiest. They are canned and then "aged" for 6 months before release to market. During this aging period, natural enzymes in the fish are said to be responsible for improving the flavor and aroma.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.7/5.

They look nice, but don't really have an appearance I can attribute to aging. The oil is clear, no indication of pepper infusion. A sip of the oil has maybe a hint of pepper. Hard to say.

There are seven in the can. They still have some fins. And tails. Unusual for pilchards, but perhaps not for those from Italian canneries. A bite of just fish reveals they are firm and meaty, not dry at all. A few scales here and there. Pulling them from the can, I find no pepper. Odd.

Let's Try Them

I was hoping, after getting them all out of the can and over some rice, the pepper flavor might become more apparent, but no.

Continuing on, I find the taste pleasant, even if not all that spicy. I'm still wondering if a can of their regular vintage sardines was somehow mis-packaged.

Setting aside the lack of heat, and concentrating on just the fish, I assume the mellowness of the fish flavor to be the result of the aging. On the other hand, these were, by the packaging and codes on the tin, canned in 2023. Not really all that long ago. I'd be willing to bet there's a lot of "non-vintage" product on store shelves currently that was canned more than a year ago, in 2024.

Overall, a little disappointing the $10 investment didn't result in any kind of epiphany. Perhaps an opportunity to try some other vintage selections in the future will provide the revelation I didn't get here. Reviews I've seen of previous Pollastrini vintages show the presence of peppers and oil tinged red as a result. I'm not sure what happened with these.

Main Takeaways

Good quality, flavorful fish
The "spicy" is MIA
Perhaps my palate is not yet discerning enough to fully appreciate vintage sardines

I actually have a can of the regular, non-vintage version of these I'll be trying straightaway. Perhaps the immediate, back-to-back comparison will provide some insights.

Brand: Pollastrini
Description: Vintage 2023 spicy sardines in olive oil
Species: Clupea pilchardus (Sardina pilchardus)
Country of Origin: Italy
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $9-10