spiced Archives - Page 2 of 3

Fangst Brisling Spiced with Allspice & Cloves

These Fangst Brisling Spiced with Allspice & Cloves are from a recent online order. I got them after trying and liking the ones with heather and chamomile.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4/5.

Kind of a mess in there. I expected a neater presentation. But I give the benefit of the doubt, and forge ahead. A sip of the oil gives an unusual taste that I can't attribute to either allspice or clove. The aroma is the same. Then I remember this isn't olive oil but instead cold pressed rapeseed (canola) oil. I see little in the way of tails.

As I try to extract a whole fish from the can, I find they are impossibly tender and fall apart at the slightest movement. Perhaps this explains the messy appearance. The carton promises they are mildly spiced, and, with one clove and one allspice berry, they are that. The Danes have a different, subtle take on sardine seasoning from that of Western Europe, and I find that refreshing.

As with the previous Fangst brisling selection, they are noticeably salty, but not excessively so. I consider it a plus. By the time I reach the last of the eight or so fish, what's left in the can is mostly debris from the unsuccessful attempts to pluck out whole fish. I happily change utensils in order to get the rest of it.

I looked forward to trying these, and initial appearance aside, was not disappointed. I'd buy them again.

Main Takeaways

Kind of messed up looking
Really tender, too tender, "fall apart-y"
Still really tasty

A little pricey in lots of three at Amazon, but not too bad.

Brand: Fangst (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Description: Brisling Spiced with Allspice & Cloves
Species: Sprattus sprattus
Country of Origin: Latvia
Source: FAO 27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $8

Da Morgada Portugese Spiced Sardines

DeenLeave a comment

I found these Da Morgada Portugese Spiced Sardines at an upscale supermarket I rarely visit. The brand was unfamiliar to me, but they appeared to have promise. The carton has some gold leaf accents in the artwork, from which I inferred a degree of quality. Taking a chance at $7, I purchased them along with some mackerel by the same brand.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Four nice looking, plump pilchards. Smooth, silvery bellies. A little roughed-up skin in places. No scales or fins are evident. A sip of the oil is neutral on the tip of the tongue, with a mild heat that sneaks stealthily up at the back of the throat. The carton lists merely "olive oil", but it seems to be of good quality. I assume its red tint is from the pepper.

Trying to lift individual fish from the can, they are tender enough to want to fall apart. Two small piri-piri peppers reveal themselves beneath the fish. "Spiced" (as opposed to "spicy") usually means chili pepper, clove, bay laurel. The only seasonings listed are piri-piri and "aroma", whatever that means. Clean taste to the fish, they are of obvious quality. I see the carton claims they are hand-packed.

Looking for them online, I don't find the brand offered by any of the usual suspects. The few I see at Amazon are over-priced. I was hoping for more information from the website listed on the carton, but it looks like it was created in the early 1990s and hasn't been updated since. I'd recommend these, but good luck finding them.

Main Takeaways

Nice looking fish
Very tender
Would buy again if I could find them

Brand: Da Morgada
Description: Spiced sardines in olive oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $7

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

Ati Manel Sardines in Spiced Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I received these Ati Manel Sardines in Spiced Olive Oil at the same time as the horse mackerel that I wasn't too fond of. I hoped these would be different.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

Four nice sized pilchards, better four than three. The skin was largely intact, and there were only a couple scales noted. Being "spiced", I expected the usual pickle, carrot, peppercorn, clove and bay leaf. The front of the carton said "picantes" (hot), and the back said chili pepper, so I also expected some heat. A sip of the oil was neutral, until it hit the back of my throat. Then it was, "Whoa!", picante is right.

The fish were firm enough to lift from the can without breaking, but the meat was nice and tender. The spines on these were still small, so they didn't detract from the tenderness. There were pickle, carrot and a small chili pepper under the fish. No clove or bay leaf. Hard to believe just that small chili brought so much heat. They were noticeably a bit salty, too, but not overly so. Even though the pickle and carrot were evidently just for show, overall, I thought everything balanced out quite well.

Ati Manel is connected to JOSE Gourmet, ABC+, and MARIA Organic, all of which are under the umbrella of 100 Misterios. The firm is largely credited with having revived the declining Portuguese canned fish industry in the mid-2000s, and also helping to elevate Portugese gastronomy. Of the four, Ati Manel is intended to provide high QPR offerings.

Main Takeaways

Peppery heat that sneaks up on you
A bit salty, but not a deal killer
Good value among premium small producer brands

See Ati Manel at Amazon.

Brand: 100 Misterios / Ati Manel
Description: Sardines in Spiced Olive Oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $8

Nuri Spiced Sardines in Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

I had picked up these Nuri Spiced Sardines in Olive Oil at World Market a while back, at the same time as a can of their spiced mackerel.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

The skin is a bit torn up. I guess that's to be expected when you stuff four pilchards of this size into a can that really can only fit three. I wasn't getting the scent of the aromatics I was expecting, but that's not always the case. The oil is slightly tinged with the color I assume comes from a pepper.

Digging in, the fish are firm, but break apart easily. I didn't find anything in the way of scales, nor any of the spine crunch I expect from larger pilchards. I didn't really dissect them to see if the spine had been removed. The meat is tender, and the flavor mild.

Below the fish are the usual suspects: carrot (the thinnest slice possible), cucumber (pickle?), a peppercorn, clove, and a couple of bits of bay leaf. Although these aromatics seem arbitrarily applied, they do achieve a pleasant balance. Can't really go wrong with Nuri. Their QPR is actually quite good as well.

Main Takeaways

Tender, mild flavored fish
Spices well-balanced
QPR Nuri is known for

See it at Amazon.

Brand: Pinhais/Nuri
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

JOSÉ Gourmet Spiced Small Sardines

DeenLeave a comment

After being impressed by their sardines with lemon, I ordered a can of these JOSÉ Gourmet Spiced Small Sardines. I pretty much knew what to expect in terms of "spiced", but wanted to see how well JG applied it.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

The aromas of bay and clove were evident as soon as the can was cracked. As with the JG sardines with lemon, some nice looking fish. I was expecting smaller, but the size and count, six, is the same as the can of lemon sardines. Each fish lifted from the can whole without breaking, but the meat was tender and not dry. No scales evident.

The usual spice suspects were in the bottom: a slice each of pickle and carrot, a clove, a small piri-piri pepper and a few flakes of bay leaf. White pepper and salt round out the seasonings. The olive oil was nicely infused with them, the overall balance being just right. The carrot still had a little tooth to it. Not much in the way of heat from the piri-piri, though.

Examining the box, I see these are 3.2 oz. vs. 4.2 oz. for the lemon variation. So, apparently they are "small", even thought the count was the same. I did note the can seemed somewhat shallow.

Anyway, as spiced sardines go, these are top-notch, albeit a little spendy.

Main Takeaways

Thought there'd be more fish
Well-balanced seasonings
Per ounce, pricey

See it at Amazon. Currently not well-priced there, though.

Brand: 100 Misterios / JOSÉ Gourmet
Description: Spiced Small Sardines
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.2 oz.
Price Range: $10

Minerva Sardines in Spiced Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

These Minerva Sardines in Spiced Olive Oil with Vegetables were tried as a follow-up to the Nuri Spiced Mackerel. I had enjoyed that spiced flavor profile and hoped it would translate well to sardines.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

Four nice-sized pilchards, with very little headroom left in the can. While these did have the slices of carrot (2) and cucumber (1), they had two small piri-piri peppers, and that was all. No clove, bay leaf or peppercorn to be found. As such, these had a little heat and nothing else in the way of spice.

That's OK, though because, as plain sardines go, these were top-notch. Clean aroma and taste, tender, and not dry at all. Although I probably won't buy them again, at least I know Minerva puts out a quality can of fish, even if they weren't seasoned as expected.

I also purchased some of the Minerva Sardines in Olive Oil with Lemon at the same time. Hopefully, I'll have something good to report on them later.

Main Takeaways

Nice looking pilchards
Not spiced as anticipated

Brand: A Poveira/MInerva
Description: Sardines in Spiced Olive Oil w/Vegetables
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.25 oz.
Price Range: $5-6