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Tag: sprats

Published on Leave a comment on Chicken of the Sea Sardines Mediterranean Style

I got these Chicken of the Sea Sardines Mediterranean Style at a supermarket a good while ago, and had largely forgotten about them. Probably because I had too many better cans to try. Anyway, it's good to keep trying tins from all price ranges because, for better or worse, you never know what you might find.

Chicken of the Sea Sardines Mediterranean Style can
Chicken of the Sea Sardines Mediterranean Style open can
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.7/5.

Visually, not bad, not bad at all. A little roughed up skin, but not a totally haphazard packing. They are sprats, and I wonder if I'll ever come across a can packed with herring instead, as the label indicates I might.

Not really any distinctive aroma coming through. A sip of the oil, listed primarily as soybean, has only the most subtle hint of the seasonings. There do appear, however, to be a reasonable amount of olive slices and a lesser amount of finely chopped seasonings. EVOO is further down the ingredient list, and I wondered if it was only there courtesy of the olives.

Digging In

"Digging in" is apropos, as they are quite tender. I couldn't get a single fish out of the can without it totally falling apart. I wouldn't characterize them as mushy (or maybe I would), but I would have preferred a good deal more firmness.

Far down the ingredient list is smoke flavor, but I didn't detect it. The salt level was just about right, but I wondered if the olives had more to do with it than the intentional addition of salt. I looked for sodium content on the label, but only just now realized they don't list any nutritional info. You are given a phone number to call to get it from there. As if... Their website says 400mg.

There were about 8 decent size sprats total. By the time I reached the last 10% of the contents, all I had left were a few olive slices and a small pile of sardine debris equal to about one sprat's worth of meat.

Main Takeaways
  • The presentation was a little better than the other Chicken of the Sea sardines I've tried to date
  • Too "fall apart-y"
  • The overall flavor was OK, but missing any hint of smokiness promised
Parting Thoughts

This was the last of three cans purchased to assess Chicken of the Sea flavored varieties, including those in lemon sauce and in Louisiana hot sauce. Looking back, my experience with and opinion of the Mediterranean style and the lemon sauce version was virtually the same. The hot sauce version, I thought, was the best of the three.

Brand: Chicken of the Sea
Description: Brisling Sardines Mediterranean Style
Species: Sprattus sprattus
Country of Origin: Poland
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.75 oz.
Price Range: $2

Published on Leave a comment on Fangst Brisling Smoked Over Beech Wood

These Fangst Brisling Smoked Over Beech Wood came with that recent big haul from Caputo's. I've been looking forward to seeing how their sprats were when just smoked, without any other seasonings. They were a bit surprising.

Fangst Brisling Smoked Over Beech Wood carton
Fangst Brisling Smoked Over Beech Wood open can
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nicely packed, as better Latvian sprats usually are. The count looks to be 11 in a single layer. Visually, they have that bronze look of smoked sprats. The aroma from the can isn't especially noteworthy. I don't really smell any smokiness, but assume it will be there on the palate. A sip of the oil is, well, um, salty. And that's a new one on me.

Normally, I treat sprats as more of a snack, and just eat them from the can solo. Digging in, the fish are quite tender. And salty. The carton says 350mg. sodium, but it tastes like twice that or more. I am getting a hint of the wood smoke on the back end, but it's very subtle. You have to really be looking for it to detect it under all the salt.

Oh, and did I mention salty? I've had other Fangst selections before, and noted each time that they had a prominent but not off-putting salt level. Unfortunately, this time was different, and I found the overt saltiness to be a distraction. It didn't keep me from finishing the $8 can, mind you, but it made for a somewhat disappointing experience. YMMV.

I did look up a few online reviews of these, and while some did note the saltiness, they didn't mention it overpowering the other flavors. Perhaps this can was an anomaly. Caveat emptor.

Main Takeaways
  • Nice sprats
  • Subtle smoke
  • Far saltier than the amount of sodium listed

Brand: Fangst (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Description: Brisling, Smoked over beech wood
Species: Sprattus sprattus
Country of Origin: Latvia
Source: FAO 27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $8

Published on Leave a comment on Bar Harbor Wild Petite Sardines Revisited

I tasted these Bar Harbor Wild Petite Sardines a while ago, and expressed my intention to revisit them at some point. They are on sale at Whole Foods right now, so this seemed an opportune time to do so.

Bar Harbor Wild Petite Sardines carton
Bar Harbor Wild Petite Sardines open can
Initial impression upon opening the can: Same as last time.

10 fish on top with six more underneath. As you may recall, these are not smoked. Just sardines (sprats), EVOO and salt. The first time around, although I thought they were some quality sprats, I found them a little bland. I tried perking them up with a little Salsa Espinaler, but found it to be a little too much.

I theorized back then that just a little fresh-squeezed lemon juice might be the ticket, and I was correct. Rather than mask the intrinsic flavor of the fish, the lemon juice complemented it. And it didn't take much, less than a quarter of the lemon's juice for the entire can. Really good.

Main Takeaways
  • Still a good quality sprat
  • Plenty of fish in the can
  • Lemon juice just what they needed to brighten them up

See it at Amazon.

Brand: Bar Harbor Foods
Description: Wild Petite Sardines in EVOO
Species: Sprattus sprattus
Country of Origin: Latvia
Source: FAO 27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $5-6

Published on Leave a comment on 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.

Fangst Brisling Spiced with Allspice & Cloves carton
Fangst Brisling Spiced with Allspice & Cloves open can
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