Description
Ingredients: Sardines, olive oil and salt.
Paco Lafuente Small Sardines in Olive Oil 16/18
$10.00
A lot of the cheapest sardines are the big chonkers that cook unevenly. A lot of people find sprats (aka brisling sardines) to be too soft. If the first tinned fish everyone ever tried was small sardines in olive oil, the food world would be a very different place. They are the porridge, the chair, the bed that is just right.
125g tin
In stock
Reviews
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Hream McDan (verified owner) –
Stunning. A unicorn tin that demands your attention on the first bite. Texturally mind blowing. It’s a firm small sardine that defies science by also having great moisture, almost coming across as if it was a smoked sprat … but it’s not smoked. Depth of flavor as if it came from Fangst … but it’s Paco Lafuente! I can maybe best compare the texture to a Mabuti spiced sardine, since both use a killer flavor + texture combo to break through (what I thought was) the ceiling in their own category.
When you’ve tried so many different sardine/sprat tins, it takes a LOT for a regular, unflavored “sardines in olive oil” tin to stand out, let alone make you double-take on the first bite … but Paco Lafuente, you’ve done it. Totally unexpected. As far as I’m concerned, these are way up there with the Pollastrini di Anzio regular tin as the most interestingly-delicious unflavored, unsmoked non-chonker sardines I’ve ever found. Buy, buy, buy.
emosberger (verified owner) –
Have to agree with McDan – this was an absolute god-tier tin! It has to take a lot to upstage my current gold standard (Ramon Peña) sardines but this one just did it! First of all the packaging is beautiful, reminiscent of a Conservas de Cambados tin. Opening up I was presented with a very clean aroma, I wouldn’t fear bringing this into the office. Counted a total of 16 little fellas packed in tightly with rich looking olive oil. Texture was perfect, firm enough to take out without falling apart but moist enough to have zero dryness factor. Flavor profile was fantastic – smooth, clean with what seems like a hint of smoke, but they’re not. Seasoning was spot-on also, enough salt to bring out the complexities but muted enough to let the fish take center stage.
All in all one of the best tins of small sardines I’ve ever had to date. Paco deserves to be in the same league as the Ramon Peña, Real Conservas and Cambados tins. Even though the price is fairly expensive I will be ordering this again to have on hand whenever I want to have a high-end sardine experience.
Shane Klesh (verified owner) –
After reading the other two reviews here, I’m pretty sure this was just a one off bad can. I first noticed a fishy taste but muscled through about 8 sardines, then decided to give the remaining half of the can to the dog. He wouldn’t eat it either. Just wondering if cans of sardines get “skunked” like an old beer once in a while.
Leslie Auerbach (verified owner) –
I’m not so sure about the one-off; while ours wasn’t bad, it did emit a whiff of…offness. The fish presented neatly & were firm enough, although a few were bit mushy . The oil was bland. All in all, I’d rate these as just OK, or even a bit less.
Christian Bromley (verified owner) –
Despite the recent reviews, I couldn’t detect anything off with the tin I received. The best part about these little guys was their firm texture, with some even having a detectable spine. I thought the seasoning was solid, and, while I wasn’t blown away with the oil, it was still good enough to sop up with some bread.
However, at $10, this tin has some stiff competition. A couple dollars more can get you into a tin of Ramon Pena gold line small sardines, which are even smaller and (somehow) firmer than the Pacos. Ultimately, the choice is yours! I don’t think you’ll be making a wrong decision either way.