I got these Sumaco Sardines in Tomato Sauce on a trip to a large Asian market across town. I was actually looking for some different chili crisps to try, but found some unfamiliar sardines instead. The back of the tin calls these "Sumaco Super Sardines in Tomato Sauce". They're Moroccan, so I figured, even at only $1.79, they couldn't be all that bad.
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.
There's a hint of tomato aroma. The sauce appears thick and the oil hasn't separated. I see some scales and maybe some fins, but can't say for sure, as the sauce obscures a lot.
A taste of the sauce is bland, a little sweet, but apparently only from the tomato paste in the sauce. There are no other seasonings listed besides salt. The sauce is made with soybean oil.
Let's See What We've Got Here
Pulling them from the can, the fish are tender enough to want to break in two. I'm seeing more scales than I'd like. There are four fish total, one a little larger than the others.
There was about two tablespoons of sauce left in the tin, and I poured most of it over everything, trying to leave the scales floating in it behind.
The meat is tender enough, giving easily to the fork. They could have used a little more salt, even though the tin listed a reasonably moderate 480mg. of sodium.
The scales, however, are a persistent problem, numerous enough to peel off in swatches of multiple scales. Patches of them were sticking to the roof of my mouth. By the time I finished, I had a line of scales perched along the rim of the bowl. I had expected better from them simply by being Moroccan sardines, but I guess not at a $1.79 price point. I'm now regretting having bought a second can only because of how cheap they were.
At least I found a new chili oil to try.
Main Takeaways
- Tender enough, but the amount of scales is a deal breaker
- Bland tomato sauce
- Needed some salt or other seasoning to liven things up
Further Investigation
I thought it was odd that there was an add-on label with nutritional information on a can already printed entirely in English. That's usually only seen in cases where the package is in some other language. I couldn't find a best by date, not even under the label, but verbiage on the can says, "To be consumed preferably before the date on the tin." As you can see, all that was under the label was a logo for "L.A. Lucky Brand", but nothing about them. The only real info was about the Moroccan source, "Packed by Conserval UE 3147".
Edit: I did manage to figure out that some numbers separated by colons weren't a timestamp, but rather the best by date, "31:12:28".
Brand: Sumaco / L.A. Lucky / Conserval UE
Description: Sardines in tomato sauce
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.37 oz.
Price Range: <$2