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Published on Leave a comment on Whole Foods 365 Skinless Boneless Sardines in EVOO

I got these Whole Foods 365 Skinless Boneless Sardines in EVOO mainly due to my not paying attention. I'd had the regular ones before, and found them OK for the price, although a bit bland. But WF seems to be inconsistent about keeping them stocked, for whatever reason. I grabbed these, thinking they were the other ones, and even wrote off the receipt saying skinless boneless as a data entry error, only to notice my oversight six months later. Duh, me. Anyway, let's see how they are.

Whole Foods 365 Skinless Boneless Sardines in EVOO carton
Whole Foods 365 Skinless Boneless Sardines in EVOO open can
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

They're not as pretty as the King Oscar of which I've had dozens of cans. I see a few scales, unusual for any skinless boneless sardines I've had in the past. And there seems to be more oil-to-fish than I'm used to, for roughly the same comparative net weight. A bit fishier in the aroma department as well, but not in a bad way. A sip of the EVOO is promising, though.

Let's Dig In
Whole Foods 365 Skinless Boneless Sardines in EVOO over rice

Surplus of oil aside, I decided to just dump the entire contents over rice. The fish were reluctant to just fall out. They were fused together and wedged in tight. Some say the fusion is an indication of previous freezing at some point during processing, but I find that unlikely with the skinless boneless variety. There appear to be 6 or 7 fish.

An initial bite is a tad dry, but the flavor is good. The extra oil is making up for the deficit of moisture, even though it really shouldn't have to. Continuing on, I'm finding the flavor more than satisfactory.

The carton notes "salt added" for some reason, probably more to do with Whole Foods customer expectations than necessity. They aren't all that salty, and the carton lists 400mg. sodium, which hovers around average.

As with the regular sardines, these are from Morocco. And, again, the carton makes no mention of California Prop65.

Overall, I don't regret my mistake in buying these. The price point makes them a reasonable alternative to the King Oscar, although I have found the Brunswick superior to these, and cheaper when purchased in quantity.

Main Takeaways
  • Good quality EVOO
  • Satisfactory flavor
  • A tad dry, but not a deal breaker

Brand: Whole Foods 365
Description: Skinless boneless sardines in EVOO
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $3

Published on Leave a comment on Brunswick Skinless Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil

It occurred to me that it had been a long time since I had returned to where the journey started, with some skinless boneless sardines. Back then, I ordered King Oscar's by the case, usually consuming them as an evening snack with saltine crackers. This tin of Brunswick Skinless Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil was laying around in my stash, and I was moved to revisit this style of tinned fish. For old times' sake.

Brunswick Skinless Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil carton
Brunswick Skinless Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil open can
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

There's that aroma, somewhere between sardine and tuna. The olive oil has a golden hue. There appear to be five fileted loins total.

Let's Eat
Brunswick Skinless Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil over rice with chili crisp

My recollection of these was that, although tender and meaty, they were a little bland. With sodium a little on the low side at 290mg, they weren't all that salty. Seemed like a good opportunity to investigate how they would taste with chili crisp.

I first became aware of the condiment chili crisp while watching a youtube sardine reviewer. It would also be from where I learned of Salsa Espinaler. For the purposes of this review, I chose a rather spicy version of chili crisp, Chuannan Chili Oil Crisp, which you can learn more about at the link.

I was concerned this bold version of chili crisp might overpower the sardine flavor. The one the youtube reviewer had was a far tamer brand called Lao Gan Ma. But I found the heightened spice level of the Chuannan complemented the fish and vice versa. And since chili crisps are often combined with rice, the three together made for a tasty, umami-filled experience.

Main Takeaways
  • Tasty sardines
  • Nostalgic flavor
  • Needed some spicing up

Brand: Brunswick
Description: Skinless boneless sardines in olive oil
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $2-3