Ten Tins to Try, and Why by Dan Waber

When you hear people talk about how you need to try Portuguese sardines, chances are these are the ones they mean. Often referred to as a "cult classic" brand, Nuri's recent showing at the worldbestfish.com rankings (this style was ranked #23 overall) is proof that their devoted followers are right.

"Not with machines, hands."

120g (4.3 oz) tin

Conservas Ramón Peña is a premier producer of fine canned seafood. Hand cleaned, prepared, and packed treasures from the Galician Rias, Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea are aged in can to perfection.

Produced in 2020 to commemorate their 100th anniversary, these bear a legally-mandated "best if used by date" of 2023, but are high quality enough to be treated as a vintage product--now perfectly aged.

Identical product is also available in alternate packaging, while they last, as Ramón Peña Sardines in Olive Oil 30/35, Gold Line.

Eat these delicacies straight from the can or use to explore traditional Spanish seafood recipes.

The best sardines from the Galician Rias, Atlantic, and Mediterranean are selected at port for canning. Sardines are cleaned, toasted, then packed with olive oil. Serve in can or on crackers with mustard.

130g tin

Pictured on a dressed zucchini and carrot salad.

Dan's tasting notes:  Best tinned tuna product I've ever eaten, period. Pristine clean flavor and impeccable texture.

"Know your farmer" they say, and most of our customers subscribe to that philosophy. Now, thanks to Keper Connell, we can say, "Know your fisherman." Every Atlantic Bluefin from Gulf of Maine Conservas is caught by Keper with a rod and a reel, and then carefully preserved in olive oil. In conversation he tells me, "To the best of my knowledge, the domestic or American conservas is a mere seedling in the zeitgeist in the food world, let alone the American palate. I am very eager to see where you take my product. I am also very interested in your tomatoes, when the time is right."

Small batch and sustainable is the future we advocate for. And not just because it tastes better, but, it does taste better.

One single can of Wild Bluefin Tuna hand-packed in olive oil. Line caught in the Gulf of Maine.

Gulf of Maine Conservas Serving Suggestions (pdf)

Each can is 6 oz, and carries a sticker with a QR code that will show you an industry-leading amount of detail about the catch.

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.

Dan's Tasting Notes: "Superb. When I cracked open the lid the aroma was pure that knowing half laugh Judi Dench delivers in Chocolat the first time she experiences the drinking chocolate. The level of red pepper (1) and garlic (1 clove) and oil and salt and fishness was impeccably balanced. I saved the oil for later use. These are 'in the Basque style', which for anchovies means they’re not tightly packed as we usually see with tinned fishies. They’re loose, to give the olive oil the ability to fully saturate every bit. The larger tin also allows for longer pieces of anchovy. The pleasures abound and compound.  I can now, from experience and without reservation, unequivocally recommend Olasagasti Anchovies a la Basque. Save the oil. For salad dressing, for croutons, home fries, for fried onions, for to cure all that ails you."

Olasagasti, located in the Basque region of Spain, has been in business since 1929 and produce their products using traditional Spanish methods. Unlike the vinegar-marinated white “boquerone” style of anchovies, these anchovies are fried in olive oil “a la Donostiarra” with garlic and cayenne pepper.

One unique aspect of these anchovies is that the tins are not packed tightly to the brim with fish. This is a trademark of Olasagasti, who feel that using a larger tin gives the anchovies space to move and become covered in the marinade of olive oil, garlic, cayenne, wine vinegar and salt. The leftover oil is a flavorful bonus you can use for sauteing vegetables or shellfish.

190g tin

Pictured with potato pancakes and chive sour cream.

We first explored carrying this brand after seeing several people say they were their favorite spiced sardine. It is a universal complaint in the sardine-loving universe that there are no spicy sardines that are really spicy. These aren't either, but, they're among the spiciest of the sardines called spicy.

Ranked #98 on the worldbestfish.com Overall list.

100g (3.5 oz) tin

Baltic Sea sprat - lightly smoked, with heather and chamomile.
In cold pressed rapeseed oil.

Brisling’ is a small fish that traditionally was landed in great numbers along the Scandinavian and Baltic coastlines. Here it was prepared by hand and preserved in cans to be sold as a Nordic version of sardine.

The brisling from FANGST is our contribution to revive and create a new place for this fine fish as the ‘Nordic sardine’.

Ranked #55 on the worldbestfish.com Overall list.

For menu suggestions from Fangst, please see this PDF:  Fangst inspiration

Net weight: 100g

Meaty and delicious and sustainable, Americans are just coming around to tinned mackerel. The Italians and Spanish and Portuguese got there long before us. Delicious straight from the can, or dressed up in all the ways you might treat tuna and all the ways you might treat sardines. It's the fish that bridges both worlds.

125g tin (4.4 oz)

Pictured on wheat toast with herb pesto and greens.

In the world of sprats and sardines, the smaller and more delicate the fish, the higher the premium is placed on it. The Cross-Pack offers 24-38 fish per tin. The other King Oscar 2-Layer varieties contain up to 22 fish. These small fish are rare. And delicious.

22-38 fish

106g tin

Pictured in an olive and pimento tapenade on crackers with parsley.

The famous flavor of white tuna is perfectly complemented by olive oil. One of the true classics of the industry, for many Ortiz is the standard against which all others are judged. And for good reason. You're unlikely to find a better quality to dollar ratio anywhere.

Choose from the 250g round with re-close-able lid, the classic 112g oval, or, for smaller appetites, the 92g round.

Pictured in a grilled cheese with homemade Major Grey's mango chutney.