Porthos Archives - Sardeenz!

Porthos Sardines in Hot Vegetable Oil

These Porthos Sardines in Hot Vegetable Oil came with a recent order from International Loft. I've had other Porthos selections before, including a spiced variation I recall being quite pleased with. Let's try these.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

It's been a while since I opened a tin to find sardines this nice looking. The skin is in perfect shape, and I see no scales. The aroma is fresh, but I note nothing in the way of spice on the nose. A sip of the oil is clean tasting, but no chili heat to speak of. The oil has a coloration more like olive oil, but it is sunflower.

Let's Eat

We have four medium to large fish. There is sufficient headroom in the tin to lift them all out mostly intact. Probably four tablespoons of the oil remain in the can, and I poured about half over everything. There is one small, lone piri pepper.

Digging in, the fish are beautifully tender and moist, while at the same time satisfyingly meaty. They are devoid of scales, always a plus.

Still not getting anything in the way of heat, I guess the small pepper wasn't up to the task. The ingredients also list chili pepper flavoring, but I could see no visual evidence of it in the oil.

I also thought they lacked salt. Sodium is listed at an average 340mg. for the tin.

This would have been an outstanding tin of fish if not for the lack of promised pepper heat. Not sorry I tried them, but I think I'll stick to the spicy in olive oil version in the future.

Main Takeaways

Tender, moist, meaty fish
Chili heat AWOL
Needed some salt

Brand: Conservas Portugal Norte / Porthos
Description: Sardines in hot vegetable oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $6

Porthos Portuguese Sardines in Tomato Sauce

DeenLeave a comment

These Porthos Portuguese Sardines in Tomato Sauce came from International Loft. I've tried a few Porthos selections before, but wanted to see how these in plain tomato sauce were. The ones in hot tomato sauce weren't that hot (the sauce not the fish), so I'm hopeful these don't underdeliver.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nice appearance, silvery belly-side up. Carefully packed, no torn-up skin. Only a few noticeable scales. The tomato sauce looks viscous enough, but has separated from the oil somewhat.

The aroma is of tomato and sardine, both fresh. A sip of the sauce/oil has a tomato-y brightness to it. No overcooked tomato flavor here.

Let's Eat

There are five fish total, and of a welcome size for my preference. They are firm and lift out of the tin virtually intact. There is a tablespoon or so of liquid left in the tin, and I whisked the oil and tomato back together before pouring most of it over the fish.

The fish are firm and meaty, resisting the pierce of the fork somewhat. They have a fresh sardine flavor, and are moist enough.

The tomato sauce has a fresh flavor, and I'm surprised to see it's nothing more than tomato, sunflower oil and salt.

The salt level is low, 230mg. sodium, but it didn't feel deficient.

Main Takeaways

Firm, meaty sardines
Nice 5 count size
Fresh tasting, minimal tomato sauce

At $6, I'd have no problem recommending these.

Brand: Conservas Portugal Norte / Porthos
Description: Sardines in tomato sauce
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $6

Porthos Sardines in Hot Tomato Sauce

DeenLeave a comment

These Porthos Sardines in Hot Tomato Sauce are from a recent run to World Market. My previous satisfaction with a similar selection from Nuri had me curious. Those were the same price, albeit from a different vendor. Let's see how it went.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nice looking fish, even partially obscured by the tomato sauce. There look to be five fish. They maybe could have fit one more in there. The label actually says "Fish - min. 65%", a notation I don't recall seeing before.

The aroma is fragrant and tomato-y. A sip of the oil (sunflower)/sauce mixture echoes the tomato aroma. The flavor is mild, with a slight sweetness of ripe tomatoes. But I'm getting no heat.

The first fish out breaks apart somewhat easily. A bite of it reveals the meat is tender and moist, with a good sardine flavor. Porthos is consistent in that respect. The salt level is about right, just enough to not be missed. Still no heat, though.

The tomato sauce/oil combo is thick enough that it sticks to bites of fish dredged through it. It has the taste of a tomato sauce that has been seasoned, but not necessarily by hot pepper.

Clearing out more of the can, I find no pepper underneath the fish. Looking at the label, it just says "natural chilli flavoring". Hmmm... Well, that's kind of disappointing.

Main Takeaways

Flavorful tomato sauce, even if absent the promised heat
Good quality Portugese pilchards, nonetheless

If this can's lack of heat isn't an anomaly, I think I'll stick with the Nuri for spiced sardines in tomato sauce. I still like the Porthos Spiced Sardines, though.

Brand: Conservas Portugal Norte / Porthos
Description: Sardines in hot tomato sauce
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $6

Porthos Sardines in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I purchased these Porthos Sardines in Olive Oil at the same time as a tin of their spiced version. Those, as you may recall, I thought were quite good. I like to try unseasoned versions to see if the quality of the fish stands on its own.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nice looking fish. 5 pilchards to the can is always a plus for me, size-wise. Not evident from the photo, but the olive oil has a rich, greenish golden hue.

The fish lift from the can intact. No scales noted. The meat is tender, not dry at all. It may be my imagination, but I think I detected a subtle note of spice. The ingredients list none, nor are any evident in the can. But the oil does have a distinct, pleasant (vegetal? grassy?) aroma, not related to the fish, which are very clean-tasting. If concocting a dish using these sardines, it would be a sin to waste this olive oil.

Overall, these did confirm my assumptions of quality, but I think any re-buy would have to be the spiced version.

Main Takeaways

Great looking, tender fish
Top notch olive oil
Expected Porthos quality

Reasonably priced in a 3-pack at Amazon.

Brand: Conservas Portugal Norte / Porthos
Description: Sardines in olive oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $6

Porthos Spiced Sardines in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I had been putting off getting these Porthos Spiced Sardines in Olive Oil because I hadn't seen or heard much about them. Big mistake on my part. They were $6 at World Market.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.

Some real beauties here, folks. A subtle whiff of clove when the lid was cracked open. A sip of the oil neutral, until it hits the back of the throat. The fish are melt-in-your-mouth tender. Pickle, carrot, clove and a red pepper under the fish. And the pickle is a pickle, even though the can says cucumber. No bay leaf, but I didn't miss it. The ingredients credit pepper seed and chilli flavoring for the heat, which is not overpowering. A really nice balance on the seasonings here.

These compare favorably with the Ati Manel, the Nuri, and the JOSE Gourmet. I also picked up a can of their regular sardines in olive oil, and hope they are just as impressive.

Main Takeaways

Supremely tender
Comparable to pricier competitors
Shouldn't have waited to pull the trigger on these

Slightly higher at Amazon, but still worth it if you don't have a local source.

Brand: Conservas Portugal Norte / Porthos
Description: Spiced sardines in olive oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $6