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Whole Foods 365 Skinless Boneless Sardines in EVOO

I got these Whole Foods 365 Skinless Boneless Sardines in EVOO mainly due to my not paying attention. I'd had the regular ones before, and found them OK for the price, although a bit bland. But WF seems to be inconsistent about keeping them stocked, for whatever reason. I grabbed these, thinking they were the other ones, and even wrote off the receipt saying skinless boneless as a data entry error, only to notice my oversight six months later. Duh, me. Anyway, let's see how they are.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

They're not as pretty as the King Oscar of which I've had dozens of cans. I see a few scales, unusual for any skinless boneless sardines I've had in the past. And there seems to be more oil-to-fish than I'm used to, for roughly the same comparative net weight. A bit fishier in the aroma department as well, but not in a bad way. A sip of the EVOO is promising, though.

Let's Dig In

Surplus of oil aside, I decided to just dump the entire contents over rice. The fish were reluctant to just fall out. They were fused together and wedged in tight. Some say the fusion is an indication of previous freezing at some point during processing, but I find that unlikely with the skinless boneless variety. There appear to be 6 or 7 fish.

An initial bite is a tad dry, but the flavor is good. The extra oil is making up for the deficit of moisture, even though it really shouldn't have to. Continuing on, I'm finding the flavor more than satisfactory.

The carton notes "salt added" for some reason, probably more to do with Whole Foods customer expectations than necessity. They aren't all that salty, and the carton lists 400mg. sodium, which hovers around average.

As with the regular sardines, these are from Morocco. And, again, the carton makes no mention of California Prop65.

Overall, I don't regret my mistake in buying these. The price point makes them a reasonable alternative to the King Oscar, although I have found the Brunswick superior to these, and cheaper when purchased in quantity.

Main Takeaways

Good quality EVOO
Satisfactory flavor
A tad dry, but not a deal breaker

Brand: Whole Foods 365
Description: Skinless boneless sardines in EVOO
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $3

Whole Foods 365 Sardines in EVOO

DeenLeave a comment

I got these Whole Foods 365 Sardines in EVOO during a recent trip to stock up on some different chili crisps while they were on sale there. These are wild-caught Moroccan, packed in EVOO, and $3. Seemed like a no brainer. It appears to be a new item (Fall 2025) at Whole Foods. Their house brand 365 stuff is usually of good quality, at least in my experience. Let's see how I did.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

The aroma of fish and the sea hits even before the can is fully open. Not the prettiest can of fish, but at the price point, who can complain?

They're pilchards. Usually, at the lower price points, we're talking sprats. There look to be at least four in there. At 4.4 oz, a generous quantity. A sip of the oil is neutral, maybe a tad fishy.

Digging Them Out

They're packed in pretty tight. The first one won't come out without breaking apart. Subsequent ones are easier. I counted four, plus one about 3/4 size, and another about 1/2 size. At least an effort was made to pack in a full portion. Not much in the way of scales and no fins, which is good.

A taste of just some fish is about average. They are reasonably firm but tender. Might have benefitted from a little more salt.

Let's Eat

Out over some rice, you can see there's a lot of fish for the money.

They are tasty enough. Still, as I went through a fish or two, it seemed like it needed something to offset the blandness.

I opened my new jar of Fly By Jing Xtra Crunchy Chili Crisp. It's more mild, less spicy than the Original. The sesame and sunflower seeds, plus soy and fava beans do deliver on the promised extra-crunchiness.

Admittedly, I may have used a little too much. The fish didn't need quite the amount of salt as it added. But overall, I thought it livened things up fairly well.

Main Takeaways

A lot of fish for the money
Good quality fish, tender and not dry at all
Needed a little salt, or something to enhance the flavor

I found it interesting the carton doesn't mention a California Proposition 65 warning, normally ubiquitous on tinned fish. Neither does it state "not for sale in California", as do those products whose manufacturers just don't want to risk litigation. Strange.

Brand: Whole Foods 365
Description: Sardines in EVOO
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Morocco
Source: FAO34, Eastern Central Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $3