Espinaler Sardines in Spicy Sunflower Oil 3/5

Reviews

1. 

   Hream McDan (verified owner) – January 21, 2024

   Pretty darn nice tin with good moisture, texture, fish quality, and flavor. Are they spicy? No no no. I’d say they’re a 1.25 out of 5 on heat … but perhaps that little touch of “sweet chili flavor” is the difference that makes the overall flavor profile stand out a little bit from the crowd. I ate them straight from the tin and truly enjoyed them, no need for additional salt (but they certainly would work well with some hot sauce). I liked these just as much as the also-not-spicy Espinaler Baby Sardines in Spicy Olive Oil, and as long as you don’t mind the lack of heat, I’d happily recommend giving them a try.

2. 

   William Winecoff (verified owner) – April 7, 2024

   Espinaler has maintained the standard for a long time, so it’s no surprise that these are nice. The spicy sunflower oil is a nice change of pace, not hugely different from typical olive oil, but a subtle change of pace is always welcome. The “spicy” is more of a nuance than a dominant flavor, and really opens these up. It’s a leaner, sharper flavor than olive oil, very refreshing. I’ll go back to these in the future.

3. 

   emosberger (verified owner) – April 13, 2024

   This was a very good tin of sardines – having “spicy” sunflower oil was a nice change of pace from the usual olive oil offerings. Got a total of five fish – one was large and the others were of varying medium sizes. The texture was soft enough to have the fish flake apart easily on toast and the flavor profile was nice and meaty to really satisfy that savory umami craving. I really wouldn’t call the tin spicy – perhaps a 1.5 out of 5, just enough to be noticeable. Seasoning was excellent also.
   All in all this tin was an enjoyable experience and worth trying out at least once.