The translation of Ramón Peña Sardinas Guisadas - "Xoubas" is, roughly, "stewed small sardines". Guisada means cooked in sauce or stewed. Xoubas is Galician slang for small sardines. In this case, according to the Ramon Peña website, the small sardines are floured, fried in olive oil, then canned covered in a traditional stew of tomato, onion and red pepper.
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.
This is interesting. Most times, additional seasonings are placed in the can before the fish, then the can is topped up with oil. The appearance here is that the sardines have been cooked a little differently, not just steamed. The aroma is vegetal, like that of a long-simmered vegetable soup. Digging in, the fish have a bit of a roughened exterior, but with some skin left on.
Dumping them out over rice seemed like the prudent mode of consumption. There are five fish in the can, its bit of extra depth accommodating both the "stew" and a little more fish. The carton doesn't specify, but they are obviously pilchards. Again, I forgot to dissect a fish to see what the bones/spine situation was, but the unique cooking process rendered any skeletal parts that may have been there undetectable.
These were tasty, the fish very tender. The sauce complemented them well. They were a bit spendy, but I'd recommend them.
Main Takeaways
- Unusual preparation
- Kind of a tinned fish comfort food
- Price makes a re-purchase uncertain
Brand: Ramón Peña
Description: Small sardines, stewed
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4 oz.
Price Range: $9-10