Alshark Moroccan Sardines in Spicy Oil

$3.25

I would see these from time to time in the various internet spaces devoted to sardines, and was curious but just never got around to pulling the trigger. Until a friend sent me a photo of the pide one of his chef friends was making with them. I had to make it, and to make it I had to have these sardines.

120g tin

In stock

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Description

Ingredients: Lightly-smoked sardines, vegetable oil, red pepper or spicy aroma, salt.

The terms “spiced” and “spicy” are used pretty much interchangeably in the tinned fish world, to mean two different things: with a hot pepper (or hot pepper flavor), and with cloves/bay/carrot/hot pepper. There are many examples of both terms being used to mean both things.

We are so frustrated by how widespread this confusing inconsistent usage is that we’ve gone through our entire product line to correct the incorrect ones such that our description of “spiced” or “spicy” will always indicate which it really is, regardless of the packaging. “Spicy” = with hot pepper flavor. “Spiced” = with the cloves/bay/carrot/hot pepper flavors.

Reviews

  1. Dan Sherbon (verified owner)

    These maybe the best bang for your buck ever. I was greeted with 4 m/l dines . The oil was fine. Nothing super smooth but not your normal beechcliff sunflower oil. A decent daily driver. No noticeable scales, pretty firm flesh, a tad on the softer side. Bones Barely noticeable. Nice medium spice, presentation not great but you’d expect that. These are a great fish, nothing wrong with them

  2. Anne Martin (verified owner)

    I found 5 largish sardines in a flavored oil with just a bit of heat. There were no discernible scales and the flesh was firm. The largest one simply fell in two when I went to pick it up. I enjoyed these with thinly sliced cheese, a few olives, mustard, fresh sliced tomatoes and small pieces of toast. It was a worthy dinner with an ice cold lager. I would buy these again. The can was easy to open but it was difficult to remove the lid completely without leaving sharp edges. I would have kept it otherwise for the cool graphics.

  3. Brian H. (verified owner)

    These sardines are a solid value. Spice level is about average for the spicy sardines I’ve had. Didn’t notice any scales. Had them out of the can with saltines and wished I had a second one when I was finished. I’ll be buying these again.

  4. Christopher Therrien (verified owner)

    These Alshark sardines are a nice find.

    I like the bright yellow can and graphics. The pull tab on the tin is hard to get started, just go slow and easy and the top should open eventually. Oddly enough, the top doesn’t come completely off as it’s attached at the end. I guess this may be a safety issue, to keep the lid on its base so a person running on the beach in bare feet wouldn’t slice a toe.

    There were five nice-sized fish in the tin. The oil they were packed in was medium spicy, not particularly hot, but it had a pleasant lingering heat. The fish were semi-firm in that they fell apart easily. Somewhat squishy though not fishy. The fish also had a few scales, though not excessive. I find Moroccan sardines can be a bit scaly at times.

    The sardines were lightly smoked. I imagine a splash of Salsa Espinaler would give them a great boost in flavor. The spicy oil with the Espinaler . . mmm!

    With the one tin I made a couple of sandwiches: Dijon, pickled red shallots, sardines, and tossed arugula on lightly toasted whole wheat toast.

    4.5 fishies out of five ???????????????? 1/2

  5. jacob.harris.122 (verified owner)

    The can is absolutely stuffed. These are enjoyable, I ate them straight from the can. The texture is slightly on the drier side and not the most tender, but still good. The heat is very noticeable compared to other spicy sardines I’ve had. It actually lingered for a while after I ate. It’s not a super complex or interesting spice flavor, just some heat. These are a decent value, but I think next time I’ll go nicer or cheaper depending on the occasion. I liked Bela significantly more for a close competitor.

  6. Hream McDan (verified owner)

    Solid. Agree with other reviewers that you’re not getting a dramatically complex flavor here but it’s still an enjoyable tin. Spicy levels were less than I’d hoped and hit maybe only 2 out of 5. More scales than expected (I’m not generally bothered by scales). Texturally similar to Nuri spiced with a medium level of moisture. At this price point, I do (strongly) prefer the Flower spiced sardines over these … but for what they are, at the price they are, I wouldn’t mind grabbing this tin again at some point in the future.

  7. nrobinson (verified owner)

    Beat up tin with rough edges. Pungent sardine smell upon opening, not a bad thing, it’s making my mouth water, very savory! 5 or 6 sardines of various sizes. Some scales, not as bad as other tins from this brand. Meaty texture, almost creamy in a way but still firm enough to hold up. Great rich flavor. Spice level is low but its there unlike some other “spicy” tins. A tad of “fishyness” flavor but nothing too bad. Overall a decent tin, but I’d lean toward something else at this price point.

  8. traceydjohnson1 (verified owner)

    I thought these were delicious on toast with a squeeze of lemon and thinly sliced onion. You do get more than your moneys worth with the amount of sardines packed in the tin. The oil isnt dip-in-bread worthy. A hint of spice by not spic-y. These are just easy go-to sardines, I wouldn’t pull these out if I was having a tinned fish party or a tinned fish board for people to eat, but good enough just for me.

  9. Doug Westney (verified owner)

    Not as good as Flower prepared in the same manner. Tin was difficult to open, made a mess. I used a bit of Espinaler to brighten up the spice level
    A good, cheap product.

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