Groix & Nature Sardines with Lobster Oil

$15.50

We really don’t have anything to compare these to, they are unique in the sardine world. Typically lobster oil is something used in small amounts because a little goes a long way. It’s a finishing oil to dress up roasted potatoes, scrambled eggs, rice, you name it. Here it is used to preserve sardines, and the effect is transformational. Not only is the flavor affected in a richly delicious way, but the texture of the fish is different than other sardines in a way that’s difficult to articulate. At first I thought the sardines were dry, but it isn’t a dryness at all. The closest I can come to describing the texture is how sardines get when you fry them in butter until they just start to show some golden coloration. It’s as if all of the water-based moisture has been pushed out and all that remains is the oil-based moisture where umami lives. And using lobster oil just adds to the effect. A singular product. If you love the oil (and you will), we offer it as a standalone product, as well.

115g (4 oz) tin

Pictured with roasted potatoes, carrots, leeks, and wilted greens.

In stock

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Description

Ingredients: Sardines (Sardina pilchardus) 75%, Lobster Oil 18% (grape seed oil, lobster, shallots, carrots, garlic), grapeseed oil, salt

Allergens: Fish, Crustaceans

A recipe from Groix & Nature (click to open a .pdf)

LOBSTER OIL SARDINE CRUMBLE

See what Matthew Carlson has to say about these sardines.

Reviews

  1. fibersides (verified owner)

    Really? I’m the first to review this delight? Like Dan says, these French Deenz just hit differently. The French Deens always seem to have a firmer texture. Almost as if cooked, but not in the way a well done steak is over cooked for some people. It’s as if you get that steak cooked rare taste with that firm well done texture. Juicy and tasty, but with a firm texture.

    Ok, and now lobster oil. Wow. To my mind it needs it’s own study. But what you have here is the most decadent of tins. French Sardines, firm, flesh, fresh fish. If there are sinful sexy sardines, these are them.

    I love them straight from the tin with some crusty bread, but these babies will serve on any starch like potatoes, rice, or other grains, even eggs, anything you’d otherwise like some extra butter on would be well served with these deenz.

  2. RZ (verified owner)

    I enjoyed the sardines on bread, but felt that their taste overpowered the lobster oil. The texture was indeed on the firm side. The leftover oil was delicious with potatoes.

  3. Matt (verified owner)

    I was holding onto these for a special occasion and I can safely say these are special occasion deens indeed. Great meaty French sardines swimming in that delicious lobster oil. I was able to save the oil and will use it with some roasted potatoes or drizzled on some rice. Very tasty tin!

  4. Matt (verified owner)

    This is a special tin for sure! The fish are large and have a great firm texture. I mixed the whole thing in with pasta. The oil is really rich and flavorful, but I didn’t pick up the lobster. That could just be me. Regardless, this is a must-try. Very different in a good way.

  5. Peter Kupchick (verified owner)

    Really enjoyed these sardines. The lobster oil has a delicate flavor that plays a perfect background profile to the excellent fish. Firm texture, nice medium size. Have the oil saved for a pasta dish this weekend.

  6. rsilver710 (verified owner)

    This is a luxurious tin of sardines. These are great by themselves or served with bread so you can soak up the lobster oil. The next time I get these, I’d try over noodles to make a seafood pasta. Very meaty fish and I can’t wait to order again.

  7. TinnedFishStoner (verified owner)

    I’ll be honest, even though these were delightful to eat and I enjoyed these with some salty nachos, the only con is in my opinion, personally I feel like these weren’t really worth the price for how it ended up being, but I understand since it is in lobster oil it can be more on the pricey side. I would rate these a 7/10, they were good but not amazing. It can be fun to try the more pricey tins anyways. I feel like this is something to try once, or to treat yourself to once in a blue moon if you do end up liking it. Definitely eat these with something or cook with them into a meal, I was eating them on their own at first but I felt like it needed something to go along with it. I wanted to get bread for it and the oil but I didn’t have bread at the moment. On a more positive note, the skin of these sardines were really pretty and I ended up taking multiple pictures of it, the scales were very delicate and shiny. They came apart in half perfectly when I wanted to take a look inside them.

  8. Joe Warren (verified owner)

    Really excited to give these a whirl and held onto them for some time. First foray into the world of lobster oil! ????

    The packaging is top-notch, with a sophisticated black and orange colorway sleeve. Immediately on open you notice two things: a delicate aroma and it’s chock full of oil!

    There’s 5 medium sized packed in, they have a bit of room to swim around inside. Decent firmness, as the exterior of the fish is stiff yet the innards are not.

    Flavor profile is nuanced. The oil coats your palate and lips, and if you like lobster you’re in for a treat. I attempted to savor but found myself going back for more quite rapidly.

    Would gladly revisit. This could be an easy intro to sardines for seafood lovers, and it would be fun to see what this oil could do for cooking!

  9. josephraa (verified owner)

    I don’t normally like larger sardines like these are, but the lobster oil definitely makes a difference here, both for texture and flavor. I don’t really know how to describe it, but I enjoyed these just as much as any tin of small sprats that I would normally go for. I gotta say though that with the way everyone else talks about the lobster oil, I felt it was a little overhyped. It’s definitely good, but I wasn’t like blown away by it and have no desire to buy the oil separately. I’m glad I tried this tin, but I don’t think I would order it again at this price. I did enjoy it with some stir fried rice, veggies, and hot peppers, pouring the oil over all the rice after plating, but, again, not enough to justify the cost. I still recommend trying it once if you’re curious though and I certainly wouldn’t be upset if I were gifted this tin.

  10. David Horie (verified owner)

    To date the priciest sardines i’ve eaten, i got 4 sardines packed in my tin, 2 smaller and 2 much larger sardines. Opening the tin, you definitely get the smell of the lobster, but that doesn’t translate into that strong of a taste, it’s suprisingly reserved given how much they’re marketing the lobster aspect on the packaging. The thing of the tin that i liked the most was the texture of the sardines, they really held their firmness. I just had them with crackers but if i ever get another tin they’ll be going with scalloped potatoes or something where i can put the oil to use!

  11. Cody Edwards (verified owner)

    I dumped the whole tin over fresh rice, after the fishies were gone I added peas and scrambled egg to the oily rice. Made for a quick and easy dinner. Overall pleasant experience but just wasn’t quite as wowed as I would hope for the price. Glad I tried them but there’s other things I would buy instead.

  12. legallydistinctfish (verified owner)

    Wow, such a unique flavor. The lobster oil adds an entire new depth to the flavor of the sardines in this tin. When you open the tin, you are greeted with lobster and sardines in smell. Eating the sardines produces an equally special flavor. The texture is great too, even if they fall apart a bit too easily. The fish are somewhat loosely packed in the tin and the oil is plentiful. One of my favorite tins of sardines I’ve tried, held back only by its high price for deens.

  13. HDNeal (verified owner)

    This tin is truly different. Ours had five sardines packed in the colorful (orange) oil. The lobster flavor is quite pronounced. The oil had fully penetrated the sardines as evident by the color and flavor.

    The oil is rich and dominates the fish. The addition of some acid (lemon, hot sauce, vinegar) helps to counter the intensity of the oil.

    Worth a try but not really our cup of tea.

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