Northern Catch vs Wild Planet (sardinops sagax)
Northern Catch $0.99/can - Left
Wild Planet $1.50/can - Right
For the longest time my Aldi's have carried the Herring/sprat variety of Northern Catch and I wasn't fan of those. On this week's grocery run, I spotted a new look in the canned fish section. My location now carries the Pacific sardines variety. So I had to put it head to head with my Pantry staple, budget Pacific sardine, Wild Planet.
Cracking open the tins, they both definitely smell like sardines. I never really liked the watered down olive oil in Wild Planet. A sip of the Northern Catch revealed the soy oil to be truly neutral and not rancid or funky.
Northern Catch had 5 sardines in the can and Wild Planet had 3, which were noticeably larger.
On the bite the Northern Catch are firmer without any off-putting flavors. The first bite revealed roe. Wild Planet is slightly mushy as usual and a little more fishy. Although the Northern Catch sardines were smaller, they had a richer bite.
They both were able to be split without falling apart. Visually they looked nearly identical on the inside and out.
The verdict. I have 22 cans of Wild Planet in my pantry. Once they are all gone, I am leaning on replacing them with these Northern Catch sardines. I need to consume more cans to ensure the consistency.
Bonus: Tari smoky heat is my favorite hot sauce for Pacific sardines.