Description
Ingredients: Sardines, olive oil, chilli and 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.
fibersides (verified owner) –
These sardinillas from Ramón Peña were great! I was really surprised at how spicy they tasted, as compared to others.
The fish themselves were nice and firm. Very tasty. The spicy oil had just the right amount of kick. I had them over a garden salad which was a nice way to enjoy them.
Ramón Peña it’s a high quality brand with lots of options available. These are fantastic and they’re priced in line with most imported tins. These are well worth it, so go getcha some!
Patrick Hachey (verified owner) –
Wow these are immaculate. First impressions are the plump size, the organized packing, and the flashy, beautiful skin. I think its safe to say these are the prettiest sardines I’ve had so far. Not that I expected any less, but presentation only goes so far when it comes to food right? Well, these are no joke in the taste and texture categories. Excellent level of moisture where they are firm, but not dry. Even the tails and scales that are present just melt away pleasantly. The oil is light as well. What I’m also impressed by is the spice level! Spicy enough to feel it a little in the back of your throat, but by no means overwhelming or overpowering the other aspects of the fish. I’d say slightly above mild, where other sardines that are marketed as being spicy fit more in the mild category. Definitely a sardine to put people on to sardines.
Matt (verified owner) –
These sardines were everything I hoped for them to be! Fantastic texture, flavor and spice. The sardines were perfectly packed, much like every other Ramon Peña tin I have had, and the fish were gorgeous. Brought these to share at a dinner party and they were eaten up within a couple minutes of opening. Eaten on some fancy crackers with soft cheese, I only wish I brought some pickled red onions to round out the bite. Similar in size to a whole anchovy but with a really nice mild sardine flavor, this will definitely be a tin I order again!
emosberger (verified owner) –
What a splendid tin this was! Beautiful presentation, the baby sardines were immaculately packed. The oil was spicy enough to be noticeable. As for the fish themselves, they had the cleanest (for lack of a better term) taste and texture of any sardine I’ve experienced yet.
Even though $8 a tin felt like a splurge I can now see why Ramon Peña is a top-tier brand. Will be including a tin of these in all future orders.
Matt (verified owner) –
Really pretty tin. Perfectly packed. These are very well seasoned and have a great peppery bite, but not at all overwhelmingly spicy. Probably more peppery flavor than some of the other spiced sardines out there. This is a hair more expensive than most regular tins in my rotation, but an easy splurge when looking for something really nice. Would 100% order again.