Absolute Beginner, A Good Assortment

The flagship product of the line, possibly the most loved can of tinned fish in the world. If you’re not sure where to start, start with these. If you you’ve already had these, welcome back. If you didn’t start with these and have never had these, your cultural education is incomplete until you have had them.

The standard against which all other tinned fish is judged. And in our opinion one of the best quality to dollar ratios you’ll ever find.

Two layer, 12-22 fish

106g tin

Pictured on short grain rice with beet pickled onion and kale microgreens.

The curve for the ratio between quality and cost is not linear. What that means is a sardine that costs twice as much may not necessarily be twice as good, and a sardine that costs half as much may not be half as good.

Just like wine, above a certain price point you can find quality products all across the range. Don’t let the price fool you on these Matiz sardines: they’re a sardine a lot of sardine lovers love.

120g tin

The classic plain sardine from a fan-favorite producer in Portugal. If you don’t like your sardines too salty, the ingredients on these are just sardine and olive oil. You cannot go wrong with a tin or several of these.

120g (4.3 oz) tin