r/CannedSardines

Saltine, little schmear of Chive onion cream cheese, little smoked octopus, sprinkle of fresh parsley and a little Maldon salt and a dash of Valentina. Sure, the oil could have been better, but surprisingly good for a $3 tin

First little haul from this sub’s recommendation of Conserveira de Lisboa. No frills and super nice folks. Exactly what I’d expect from this community, so thank you. Will report back on how they taste. We snagged:
* Squid with tomato and onion
* Mackerel with spicy tomato
* Sardines (of course) with spicy pickles

I got these from an exchange recently and I was very lucky to get a variety of fish directly from Portugal. I kinda forgot that these had more than just sardines and peppers, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a piri piri pepper, a pickle, a preserved lemon, and a bay leaf inside. The bay leaf got kind of broken up, but the rest were intact (although a bit mushy).

This was a delicious tin. I may have eaten half a sardine and a nibble of lemon before I remembered to take a picture of the contents on the plate. These were very easy to flake apart, while still being a nice, meaty sardine. The other things in the tin were subtly present in the fish itself, but amplified when I took a bite of both. A good underlying spice throughout that built up by the end, but still on the lower end of heat in my opinion.

I just ate them plain, but I could definitely see putting this on a piece of toasted sourdough or slices of baguette. There's a good amount of flavor, so it doesn't really need anything else. Unfortunately I don't think I can really find these near me, but I'm very glad I got to give them a try.

Ok, tinned fish community… Let’s figure out what’s going on here! I often eat Season skinless & boneless sardines… Yes, I know they’re not primo, but they’re cheap at Costco and do in a pinch. I also track my macros.

They recently redid their packaging, but it seems that’s not all that’s changed, despite the ingredients, weight, and serving size all still appearing to be identical. I give you Exhibit A, above. The two photos show a box of the new packaging on top and the prior packaging on the bottom, both front and back.

Spot the differences? I’d like to know how in the world they managed to reduce the calories by 20% and increase the protein by 10%, simply by changing the packaging. Seriously, what’s the deal here?! Is the answer that they were previously selling this product with materially incorrect macros? Or, were the macros perhaps correct before and they’re wrong off now? Not sure which to believe… If any.

Really just starting out. Had a taste in Portugal two years ago. Only now enjoying tinned fish, especially with a bottle of vinho verde. Anyone else, subscribed to any tinned fish subscriptions?

Picked up a bunch of different tins over the last couple of weeks. My first tin was king oscar, was very good with crackers and hot sauce.

Accompanied by some marble rye crackers! Simple and delicious 👌🏼

Already tried the butter deenz so reordered more. everything else i havent tried before.

Anchovies this time, with piment d’Espelette, from La Perle des Dieux. I enjoy rotating between sardines, mackerel and anchovies.

According to the tin, they’re prepared “façon sardine”. I assume that means lightly fried or cooked in oil.

5 large anchovies in the tin, and although the tin itself weighs 5 grams less than the Olasagasti anchovy tin I recently had (which also contained 5), these actually seemed slightly bigger.

They’re bathed in vibrant reddish olive oil - the piment d’Espelette was already making itself known from the first glance.

Taste: more than solid. Quite a firm bite, maybe a little drier than the Olasagasti, but definitely not throat-blocking.

The piment d’Espelette does exactly what piment d’Espelette is supposed to do: give you a warm mouthfeel, a gentle glow, not a kick in the mouth. Together with the equally well-judged salt level, it makes this a tin you devour with gusto.

Nice tin. Good stuff.

Genuinely have never seen this before so I’m kinda upset.

These are the same, right? I mean, the José Gourmet sardinillas are just in extra virgin olive oil, while the Maria Organic fish luxuriate in organic extra virgin olive oil, but really, they’re the same. Right?

José Gourmet and Maria Organic are corporate family members. Maria Organic is their line that relies exclusively on organic oils and other ingredients that end up in cans with their seafood. These fish were fished in the same fishery, processed on the same day or close to it—the cans share a December 31, 2027 “best by” date—in the same place. So, same-o, same-o.

Well, I know one way to find out: Science that shit! And because I shoulder burdens so you don’t have to, I resigned myself to snorfling down two luxury tins of Portugal’s finest baby sardines for lunch today. No, no, don’t thank me—I’m just gratified to be of service.

Anyway, wonders never do be ceasing. No sooner had I pried off the lids when obvious differences appeared. The Maria Organic sardines look as though they’ve been smoked. They’ve not been smoked. The José Gourmet fish were noticeably larger, too. I realize these are natural—wild caught, they always shout—products, but they seemed a lot beefier. I measured the oil drained from each can, and there was 25% less in the José Gourmet—in other words, the Maria Organic fish had that much extra elbow room in their more-loosely-packed tin.

The aromas differed, as well. I’d describe the José Gourmet as having the classic Portuguese/Spanish scent. Oceany, briny, fishy-in-a-good-way. The Maria Organic had something in addition, some earthy, dark notes. I turned back to the ingredient list on the box, and then I fired up the machine and went to their site, because I thought there must be herbs-n-spices I hadn’t cottoned to. Nope, just salt and oil in both cans. I’m not an olive oil expert by any stretch, but I suppose the different oils are the most likely explanation, with the organic extra virgin olive oil being darker, conveying grassy/herbaceous scents. Not something I’d encountered in unsmoked sardines before.

Both of these were superb. I didn’t even notice I was charging through two cans, when most days I am content to have just one. But if I have both of these on the shelf, and I’m reaching for one to offer a curious newcomer, I’ll grab the José Gourmet and leave the Maria Organic for a more seasoned veteran. Or for me, most likely. It’s just a slightly more challenging, puzzling even, experience waiting in that tin.

Side Note on Nutrition Facts: Unless you truly have inside, expert knowledge, don’t dig in. I’ve no explanation for the curious differences here. There are always curious differences. I’ve corresponded over some years with the (perfectly nice) folks at 100Mistérios, the parent company that produces both these cans, and the nutrition and ingredient questions have been posed and yet never squarely answered. It’s fine. They’re close enough, literally, for government purposes.