Description
Ingredients: smoked sprats (Sprattus sprattus), rapeseed (canola) oil, salt.
See what Matthew Carlson has to say about these smoked sprats.
Check out SlowJabroni exploring this tin of smoked sprats.
Belveder Riga Smoked Sprats in Oil, 160g
$4.00
If you’re one of those tinned fish fans who never passes a specialty grocery store without popping in to check out the options, you’ve noticed that a lot of different regions of Eastern Europe produce a smoked sprat, and you’ve probably also noticed that they can be very different.
Riga is the name of the capital of Latvia, and where a major share of the world’s sprats are brought ashore and processed. But each brand of canned sprats has different standards and procedures which fine tune the taste.
Belweder is the name of the Presidential Palace in Poland.
160g tin
Pictured on cous cous tabbouleh with kale microgreens.
In stock
Reviews
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Raini Porterfield (verified owner) –
One of my all-time favorite cans of fish, and especially excellent for the price! They arrived neat and tidy in the can. Pleasantly firm with lovely skin and a smoky flavor that’s just intense enough. Personally, I prefer these to larger fish.
Patrick Hachey (verified owner) –
I was really excited to try these after hearing positive things! They seem rather loosely packed and have VERY pretty silvery skin. Most of them fall apart when picked up and they are the softest ‘dines I’ve had. The smoky flavor is strong, but in a way where you can tell that it is smoked using real wood. After eating a few straight up, I eventually took Dan’s advice that he packed with the can; I paired them with a spreadable, herbed cheese on a salty cracker. The added crunch really helps these out and they instead become a vessel for smoke, oil, and nutrients.
Hream McDan (verified owner) –
I **LOVE** this tin. I can’t believe that a tin this massive -with fish this delicious- can even exist in the universe … and the odds of it ALSO only being $3?? My brain wants to explode just thinking about it.
Smoky. Perfect smoke. Maaaaybe slightly less smoke than Riga, but still very smoky and you’ll absolutely know that they were smoked. The depth of flavor in this tin, the richness, the saltiness, the texture, it’s dreamlike. Possibly slightly softer fish than Riga, I’d have to do a side-by-side test to say for sure. Texture is delightful, the sprats almost melting in your mouth yet they have a slightly firmer exterior texture (esp near the tail) that ensures they still have integrity and are not too soft.
Honestly … this Belveder tin just might be my “you can only have one type of canned seafood for the rest of your life” choice. And that’s without taking the price into account. I simply don’t know how this can be mine for only $3, it’s absolutely a glitch in the matrix. I can’t imagine a better daily driver tin. Or a better treat-yo-self-today tin. Or a better share-with-friends tin.
I **LOVE** this tin.
Greg L (verified owner) –
I’ll get the slight cons out of the way first. The skin on most of the fish were torn upon cracking the tin open. Many fish were broken before I touched any of them. The rest tended to fall apart while I extracted them with chop sticks. Some of the tails were bristly to the point of unpleasantness.
Now for the good stuff. Soft texture, moist and tender. The balance of smoke and fish flavor is great. I couldn’t ask for a better balance. Really good amount of fish for the price.
Not my favorite, but still good.
kholthaus1 (verified owner) –
When I opened the tin of these sprats the smokiness came wafting out which is always a good sign for me. these sprats were tender and the tails were not stiff at all. I tried these on saltines first but felt they needed something else, so I broke out the stone ground mustard, which did the trick. I think that these would also be good as a salad topper. I would repurchase these because of the quality for the price.
emosberger (verified owner) –
This is the best tin of smoked Latvian sprats I’ve had to date! Noticeable smoke but not overwhelming, the sprats themselves are nice and tender with minimal “bottlebrush” tail hardness. And the price is definitely in daily-driver territory so I’ll be getting these whenever I need a change from the usual pilchard tins.
Albert Schmidt (verified owner) –
For the price, these are hard to beat! Heavy smoke on the nose when opening the can. Taste was much less smokey and more balanced. Tender fish with a less tender tail. Not noticeable if you are eating on toast or crackers. I can image these would be great with some cream cheese and something acidic to cut through. Great tin!
Greg Roddy (verified owner) –
So first time trying these and was very pleased. Dan was ki d enough to include a serving suggestion of having them with an herded cheese and it so happens had plenty of Boursin cheese leftover from Thanksgiving and they were absolutely delicious with a Costco baguette. Smokiness was perfect on these and really like the texture of the flesh. I will definitely be purchasing again and thank you Dan for the suggestion. Next time I will be trying with the espinaler sauce for a little zip.
Kristina Danielle (verified owner) –
These are great! Pretty smoky but not quite as smoky as some other smoky sprats. I am a big fan of sprats and larger sardines so I love the flavor of these as well. They are not fishy at all like large sardines so they are great for folks new to fish or people that dont like fishy fishes:)
There are so many in the can! Like plenty to share!! I love to top off my alfredo or other italian inspired dishes with with. They are also so so tasty on bread or crackers with a little cream cheese and pickled onions or radish. One of my favorite smoky tins!
josephraa (verified owner) –
I had these as part of a fishmas seacuterie spread with family. For everyone but my partner and I, this spread was a first experience with tinned seafood outside of like chicken of the sea tuna. Everyone loved this tin and it was a great introduction for the newbies. Not too fishy, good smokey flavor, good texture. I tend to prefer smaller fish like sprats and this tin was no exception. I won’t say it’s the best tin of smoked sprats I’ve ever had (it is not), but it is very solid for the price and I’d definitely eat it again.