I found these Tomé Sardines in Spicy Olive Oil with Chilli as a new item at one of my local Asian markets. What intrigued me most was that an Asian importer out of New York was distributing Portugese sardines, packed by Ramirez & Cia, no less. At $3.29, it seemed I couldn't go wrong. Or could I?
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.6/5.
They're not the prettiest. Packed dark dorsal side up, with a fair amount of broken skin. The olive oil is only slightly tinged amber from the pepper. You can see it peeking out from the far side of the tin. I see no fins, tails nor scales.
There's not much of an aroma, of fish, spice or otherwise. A sip of the oil is unrevealing except for the tiniest hit of heat at the back of the throat.
Let's Dig In
There are four fish total, one slightly truncated at the tail end. They are firm as they lift from the can, and have a certain heft to them. They are not inclined to fall apart during the transfer to the rice bowl.
There were about four tablespoons of oil left in the tin, and I poured about half over the fish. I wasn't expecting much from it, and ultimately didn't get much.
The fish resist yielding to the stab of a fork, but are reasonably tender on the palate. They are not dry, but there isn't a lot of sardine flavor to them. I tasted the pepper, and it was only a tad more spicy than the oil, which isn't saying much.
I noted they weren't salty at all, and I thought they could have benefitted by a little more. The carton confirms an unusually low 190mg. sodium.
Main Takeaways
- A little rough looking
- Tender enough, but lacked sardine flavor
- Needed salt
These didn't blow me away, and I now question having bought a second can solely on the reputation of Ramirez & Cia. They produce the Berthe brand, of which I was highly impressed. As far as spiciness goes, I was far happier with similar from Angelo Parodi, which cost only a little more.
Brand: Ramirez & Cia. / Tomé
Description: Sardines in spicy olive oil with chilli
Species: Sardina pilchardus
Country of Origin: Portugal (dist. by United Foods of Asia, Ltd. NY, USA)
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: Yes/Yes
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $3