sunflower oil Archives

Porthos Sardines in Hot Vegetable Oil

These Porthos Sardines in Hot Vegetable Oil came with a recent order from International Loft. I've had other Porthos selections before, including a spiced variation I recall being quite pleased with. Let's try these.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

It's been a while since I opened a tin to find sardines this nice looking. The skin is in perfect shape, and I see no scales. The aroma is fresh, but I note nothing in the way of spice on the nose. A sip of the oil is clean tasting, but no chili heat to speak of. The oil has a coloration more like olive oil, but it is sunflower.

Let's Eat

We have four medium to large fish. There is sufficient headroom in the tin to lift them all out mostly intact. Probably four tablespoons of the oil remain in the can, and I poured about half over everything. There is one small, lone piri pepper.

Digging in, the fish are beautifully tender and moist, while at the same time satisfyingly meaty. They are devoid of scales, always a plus.

Still not getting anything in the way of heat, I guess the small pepper wasn't up to the task. The ingredients also list chili pepper flavoring, but I could see no visual evidence of it in the oil.

I also thought they lacked salt. Sodium is listed at an average 340mg. for the tin.

This would have been an outstanding tin of fish if not for the lack of promised pepper heat. Not sorry I tried them, but I think I'll stick to the spicy in olive oil version in the future.

Main Takeaways

Tender, moist, meaty fish
Chili heat AWOL
Needed some salt

Brand: Conservas Portugal Norte / Porthos
Description: Sardines in hot vegetable oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $6

Pollastrini Sardines in Spiced Tomato Sauce

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These Pollastrini Sardines in Spiced Tomato Sauce came from International Loft, and they round out the four varieties of Pollastrini tinned sardines they currently stock.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Reasonably nice looking, with skin only slightly roughed up. There are two small peppers. The sauce appears thick and has not separated from the olive oil as sometimes happens. The aroma is of tomato and fresh sardine. A taste of the sauce is encouraging.

Let's Eat

I just dumped the can directly over the rice. Only a little sauce was left in the tin, owing to how tightly the fish were packed in there and how the viscosity of the sauce made it cling to them. There are six fish total, with one being smaller than the rest.

The first bite caught me off guard, as it made a squishy sound when I pierced the fish with the fork. I quickly realized it was one of the peppers underneath.

The fish are quite tender, and only maybe slightly what you could characterize as dry. The sauce made up for it however, and its spiciness was spot on. One of the better representations of spicy tomato sauce, in fact.

Saltiness was about right, the label listing 240mg. sodium.

Country of Origin

You may have noted the tan piece of tape on the image above. It's part of a label covering the bottom area of the lid and there to obscure the designation "Product of Italy". For reasons not quite certain, Pollastrini has for some time been sourcing sardines from and processing them in Croatia, Italy's neighbor across the Adriatic Sea. What's under the black part doesn't appear to differ from the label covering it.

An add-on label on the bottom of the tin also revises the sourcing, but peeling it back reveals a more interesting difference. The label says "sardines, tomato concentrate, sunflower oil, chili, water, sugar, potato starch, salt". Behind it, the can says "sardines, tomato sauce, olive oil, celery, hot pepper, natural flavours, spices and salt". So, a little more going on here than just country of origin. The International Loft website listing still claims olive oil.

Main Takeaways

Tender sardines
Spicy tomato flavor well-represented
Substitution of sunflower oil puzzling

Brand: Pollastrini
Description: Sardines in spiced tomato sauce
Species: Clupea pilchardus (Sardina pilchardus)
Country of Origin: Italy/Croatia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $6

Sultan Sardines in Oil – Mild

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These Sultan Sardines in Oil - Mild came from the Mediterranean market I've been getting a bunch of new sardines from lately. I've had several Sultan varieties already, but these were the latest to appear on the shelves there. That these are called "mild" is odd, almost like the versions with peppers are considered the default flavoring.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

Some big ones. It almost looked like only two, but there were two more underneath in the deep tin. They're nicely packed, with skin largely unbroken. The aroma is of fresh sardine. A sip of the oil is, well, "mild", having no real flavor to it. It's sunflower oil.

Let's Dig In

The fish extract from the tin largely intact. No scales, but a fin or two here and there. I poured most of the oil over the fish and rice.

Piercing with a fork, they are quite tender despite their size. On the palate, the meat is soft and moist.

There's kind of an earthy flavor to them, but maybe it's just me having gotten used to sardines with some kind of added seasoning.

I thought they lacked salt, the sodium being an average 380mg. for the can. I briefly thought about adding something to ratchet it up a bit, but being three fourths of the way through the tin, decided to just leave it be.

Main Takeaways

Tender fish despite their size
Generous portion
A bit bland, needed salt

Overall, I'm glad I tried these; they were worth the $3 price tag. Also glad I only bought one tin to try. I think I'll stick to the versions with hot peppers in olive oil and the ones with tomato and hot peppers.

Brand: Sultan
Description: Sardines in oil - mild
Species: Pilchards
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.41oz.
Price Range: $3

Casablanca Spicy Sardines with Hot Peppers

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These Casablanca Spicy Sardines with Hot Peppers came from a local Middle-Eastern market. I've learned to check there regularly, as I've found several selections I haven't seen elsewhere, and they seem to get new things frequently. Moroccan sardines at $2 a tin felt like a challenge worth taking.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

It's one of those stiff, scary-to-open cans with the squiggly ridges on the lid. Fortunately, I get it open without incident. It's just two huge pilchards, which I've come to expect from inexpensively-priced Moroccan sardines. Skin is a little roughed up. The oil is tinged red from peppers, I assume, but I don't see any yet. The aroma is a little fishier than I'd like. A sip of the oil, listed as sunflower, has a heat that doesn't hit until the back of the throat. I see some bones sticking out from the tail end of the loins. No scales or fins, though.

Let's Eat

Heaving them out over rice, I find two bright red peppers underneath. There's a few tablespoons of the oil left in the tin, and I poured most over the fish and rice.

I think what I like least about getting overgrown pilchards is the sense that I'm butchering a side of beef rather than enjoying some little fishes. Nonetheless, the meat is tender and moist, not mushy, and reasonably melt-in-your-mouth in texture.

The fish flavor, like the aroma, is a bit stronger, but not off-putting. The pepper flavor is low but steady, no real complaint there. They don't seem all that salty, and the carton confirms a low 200mg. sodium. I didn't feel compelled, however, to add anything salty to make up for it.

Main Takeaways

Why couldn't they be smaller
Tender, meaty fish regardless
Maybe could have used some salt

Brand: Spice N' More Corp. / Casablanca
Description: Spicy sardines in olive oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.375 oz.
Price Range: $2

Pollastrini Sardines in Sunflower Oil

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These Pollastrini Sardines in Sunflower Oil came from International Loft. As with other Pollastrini tins in the order, this one also includes an add-on label indicating sourcing from Croatia. I've liked other selections from them so far, and wanted to see what their unembellished, plain sardines in oil were like.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

The skins are a little rough, but that won't affect taste. The aroma from the tin is solely of the fish, and a little stronger than I'm used to. But not in a bad way. No scales apparent, but I see some tails, typical of Italian packed sardines. They're easy enough to cut off.

A sip of the oil is neutral, as sunflower usually is. Pollastrini produces plain sardines packed in olive oil, and I'm not sure why International Loft doesn't appear to stock them. They do stock the spicy sardines in olive oil version. But, if the fish have a good taste on their own, though, the type of oil isn't necessarily critical.

Let's Eat

Pulling them from the tin, they are quite tender, almost falling apart. The few tails I saw, I easily cut away with a fork. There are six fish, once again testament to Pollastrini's ability to pack more fish in a smaller can than their competitors.

What little oil was left in the tin, I poured over the fish, attempting to avoid the skin and tails debris.

Digging in, they are as tender as they seemed. I found, however, as I worked my way through them, the taste to be somewhat earthy, maybe even muddy. Not a lack of freshness, but something intrinsic to the fish, a blandness. Disappointing.

They lacked salt, but even the addition of a salty condiment didn't materially improve things. Sodium is listed as 550mg, but they tasted nowhere near that salty.

Main Takeaways

Tender fish
Good count
Unimpressive flavor

Brand: Pollastrini
Description: Sardines in sunflower oil
Species: Clupea pilchardus (Sardina pilchardus)
Country of Origin: Italy/Croatia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 3.5 oz.
Price Range: $6

Porthos Portuguese Sardines in Tomato Sauce

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These Porthos Portuguese Sardines in Tomato Sauce came from International Loft. I've tried a few Porthos selections before, but wanted to see how these in plain tomato sauce were. The ones in hot tomato sauce weren't that hot (the sauce not the fish), so I'm hopeful these don't underdeliver.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nice appearance, silvery belly-side up. Carefully packed, no torn-up skin. Only a few noticeable scales. The tomato sauce looks viscous enough, but has separated from the oil somewhat.

The aroma is of tomato and sardine, both fresh. A sip of the sauce/oil has a tomato-y brightness to it. No overcooked tomato flavor here.

Let's Eat

There are five fish total, and of a welcome size for my preference. They are firm and lift out of the tin virtually intact. There is a tablespoon or so of liquid left in the tin, and I whisked the oil and tomato back together before pouring most of it over the fish.

The fish are firm and meaty, resisting the pierce of the fork somewhat. They have a fresh sardine flavor, and are moist enough.

The tomato sauce has a fresh flavor, and I'm surprised to see it's nothing more than tomato, sunflower oil and salt.

The salt level is low, 230mg. sodium, but it didn't feel deficient.

Main Takeaways

Firm, meaty sardines
Nice 5 count size
Fresh tasting, minimal tomato sauce

At $6, I'd have no problem recommending these.

Brand: Conservas Portugal Norte / Porthos
Description: Sardines in tomato sauce
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $6

Espinaler Sardines in Spicy Vegetable Oil 3/5

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These Espinaler Sardines in Spicy Vegetable Oil 3/5 came with a Caputo's order from a few weeks ago. I'd had their baby sardines in spicy olive oil and their regular 3/5 sardines in olive oil, and found them both OK. I may have just added these to make the order a little bigger. They ship tinned fish orders for free, and I always like to get at least 6 or more cans at a time, out of a sense of fairness to the vendor.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

The 3/5 means you should expect 3 to 5 fish. Here we have four. It's a deep can, so they're a large four. Nicely packed silver belly side-up, but I can see a few things I would rather had been cleaned out better during processing. There are no scales evident, but there are a couple tails. There are also a few bits of what looks like grass. The Espinaler in the blue cartons are their "classic" line, so they're not expensive as imported Spanish sardines go, but my previous experience with them has been of cleaner-looking fish.

The aroma doesn't reveal much. A sip of the mostly clear (sunflower) oil is neutral. I thought for a moment I detected a modicum of heat, but a second sip was confirmedly bland. The applied US label covering the back panel of the carton lists "sweet chili flavour", which I thought was odd for a tin labeled "picantes" (hot).

Let's Eat

Heaving them out over rice, they remained largely intact. I removed and set aside some things from the cavities that were visually unappealing. Don't get me wrong, I live in a part of the country with abundant, fresh seafood, and I eat some things folks from elsewhere probably wouldn't touch. It's not that I thought whatever these parts were was harmful, I just chose not to let them get in the way of my enjoyment, if you get my meaning.

Anyway, the fish are tender and moist. I wouldn't call them juicy, and honestly, I don't think I've ever had a sardine I'd characterize as juicy that wasn't really just mushy. These do have a good sardine flavor, though.

They're a bit on the salty side, even though the carton lists only 390mg. sodium. It's not a deal breaker.

The problem here is that there's no heat or spice. There's no physical pepper in the can, so I don't know if they just forgot to squirt whatever "flavour" makes them "picantes" into the can or what.

Main Takeaways

Tender, moist fish, but some visually unappealing bits I could have done without
A little salty
Where's the heat?

I've liked the other Espinaler tins I've had so far, so it's a bit disappointing this one didn't deliver as promised.

Brand: Espinaler
Description: Sardines in spicy vegetable oil
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.05 oz.
Price Range: $5