Description
Ingredients: Sardines (Sardina pilchardus)(70%), sunflower oil (20%), habanero pepper (8%), garlic (2%).
Pow! Sardines in Habanero Purée
$9.00
Never the type to curse the darkness, at RTG we are all about lighting candles. The single most common grex we see in online forums, and read in reviews, is that flavorings in general, and spicy things in particular, are not “strong” enough.
We’re fixing it.
These are being produced for us (and to our custom specifications) by Mariscadora and Don Gastronom’s La Narval. Each tin contains 3/4 large sardines that are positively bathed in red ripe habanero pepper paste. Plus a hefty dose of garlic to round out the flavor profile. Because this is about flavor, not just about heat.
They are habanero hot, and we don’t mean a hint or a whisper or a whiff. Look at the photo. That’s habanero paste. In a can. With sardines.
We think these are hot enough, and have a high level of confidence you will, too.
These are not stupid painful hot like ghost pepper. But they are too hot for anyone who might wonder, “Is this too hot for me?”
If you have to ask, the answer is, “Yes, they’re too hot for you. Don’t buy these.”
We highly recommend emptying the contents of the tin into a bowl and gently fork-mashing the oil and habanero and sardine together until just barely mixed, and then putting forkfuls on saltines.
Also pictured as a POWerful Puttanesca, just make puttanesca as normal and top with a tin of these. Yowza good.
110g (3.88 oz) tin
In stock
Reviews
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Wyatt Fisher (verified owner) –
I’m a spicy food lover, and these have immediately skyrocketed to the top of the list of my favourite tinned fish products. These are a beautiful experience for a heat chaser. The heat isn’t overwhelming for somebody with a reasonable tolerance, but it burns so well – just to the point of getting that light head high, without ever crossing over into unpleasant or challenging territory. The habanero flavour shines through, and it’s a wonderful pairing with the fish. The combination of great sardines, a great puree, and a kick of capsaicin results in a genuinely special tin that makes for one of my favourite conserva-based meals I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.
I had been longing to someday find a tin of truly spicy sardines. Now that I have one, I couldn’t be happier. It’s everything I was hoping it would be.
Daniel Herskovic (verified owner) –
I just received my order and I immediately open this tin of Habanero Sardines. Overall, I really loved these. They are significantly more hot than a bottle of Cholulah hot sauce, but not as hot as Dave’s Insanity Sauce. This tin is definitely for someone who loves spicy food. This tin is much hotter than the Nuri extra spiced sardines which are also excellent. I highly recommend that you have a cold beverage nearby when you enjoy these Pow sardines. I needed it. I enjoyed these over some Wasa crackers and these would also be very nice over rice so you can distribute the spicy sauce. If I could ask for an improvement in the future, it would be to have these sardines packed in olive oil versus sunflower oil as I prefer to avoid seed oils. If you enjoy very spicy food, please put these deenz in your cart right now!
Doug Westney (verified owner) –
I received this tin early today and had to sample right away. I like the flavor of habanero peppers so I was not shocked by the intensity of the puree. Nice heat and not a lingering burn you get from some peppers. Sardines were meaty with good flavor. I would recommend these to someone not afraid of a little spice. I really like the artwork on the box.
Ro (verified owner) –
this is exactly what i’ve been looking for in a tin of fish – true spiciness. this is probably one of the spiciest things i’ve ever eaten – at the start, the spice was noticeable but not insanely strong, and then the more i ate the more it built up. not only does it have great flavor, but the sardines are pristine quality as well. and i got not one, not two, but FIVE whole slices of garlic!!!!!!!!! i am so happy this exists. thank you for making this.
Bradley Chapman (verified owner) –
If you like hot foods this is for you. This is hot-hot. Like pacing around the room sweating and panting between each bite hot. This tin holds three large sardines devoid of any scales and of superb undamaged quality. These sardines are firm and full flavored. What makes this tin so very special is the inclusion of the fruity and hellishly spicy habanero purée. Combined with the bright funk of garlic and the mellow flavor of sunflower oil, the habanero adds an incredible depth of flavor to these tiny fish.
Upon your first bite you know this will be a unique experience. This tin is HOT. I, myself have a high tolerance to spice and I found this to be nearly as hot as the “Thai-hot” option at your local Thai restaurant. So, hotter than many would be able to enjoy. Beware. The heat, the brightness of the sauce, and the full flavor of this fish make this an unforgettable tasting. This profile of flavor brings fond memories of a vibrant Ghanian stew or a superbly bold jollof rice.
I enjoyed this tin with some warm focaccia. Halfway through the tin I decided a splash of some acidity would bring this tin into the stratosphere. So be sure to enjoy this with a wedge of citrus or a white wine vinegar.
Final rating 10/10
rymlks (verified owner) –
The flavor on these is actually phenominal. Habanero seems to pair with tinned fish in a really special kind of way (see also: Ekone smoked habanero oysters), and the copious sliced garlic brings a herculean balancing force to the massive pepper presence in this tin. The labelling might scare you into thinking this is some kind of police-force pepper spray level spice, but it’s more like a Buffalo Wild Wings hot-wild level spice, which is perfect if you’re the kind of person who likes spicy food. The quality of of fish under all that flavor is great too – the flavor of sardines survives through the fire and the flames, and the meat is a nice medium-firm texture, like a Nuri.
I will say, my tin in particular was what I would describe as “extremely scaley”, but as far as I can tell, others don’t seem to be having this problem. Even if it was like this in every tin, I’d still recommend these.
Big props to the RTG crew for this one, this is a home run!
ket002 (verified owner) –
THESE WERE GOOOOOD. I’m a spice lover and these definitely are POW! on the spice level. Really enjoyed these. The garlic flavor is intense too which was so great. Husband said we have to bulk up on these. Please never stop selling!
emosberger (verified owner) –
OW! These sardines were (almost) too hot for me! But seriously, this was an absolutely fabulous tin if you like your spice level kicked up a notch. I would personally rank the spiciness as a Thai restaurant 4 out of 5 star, so it’s not “stupid hot” as Dan mentioned.
Popping the lid I was presented with the chili aroma and a beautiful red oil. Got three large chonkers swimming in the oil and habanero purée, I decided to place the entire tin in a small bowl of jasmine rice. Heat level was first and foremost, but balanced enough to let the flavor of the sardines and garlic shine. The sardines were excellent, which I would expect from the La Narval conserva. I did have some yogurt nearby to mute the spice level, which I needed to do several times!
All in all, this is now the gold standard as to what a true spicy tin of sardines should be. All of Dan’s hard work in bringing this to market really paid off and I hope it remains a staple for the foreseeable future.
Patrick Letts (verified owner) –
Nails exactly what a spicy tin wants to be; excellent spice levels while still allowing the flavor of the fish, pepper, and garlic to shine. Enjoyed on top of a bowl of cooked einkorn wheat that had a little butter in it, fish just allowed to absorb the heat the bowl had to spare. 10/10.
I see another review recommends vinegar to brighten up, however all I have at my work desk is a bottle of Louisiana Crystal hot sauce. Pray for me.
I anxiously await the Carolina Reaper surströmming.
christinahammill (verified owner) –
Whew, this tin is no spicy joke! And shout out to the heavy hand of garlic, it adds such a great depth of flavor in addition to hot hot hot. I had one beautiful fish on crackers with lemon and cucumber before needing a little break to enjoy the burn!
The habanero paste is such a star, I’m going to follow the lead of my girl Day with Mei and dump the rest of the can onto a plate of hummus to enjoy every bite. Fantastic work, RTG!
brente222 (verified owner) –
I enjoy spicy, but if it make me tear up and need to blow my nose, not so much. My friend took a large bite on a cracker and immediately started hiccupping, which is normal for him, and he loved these, said they weren’t as hot as he expected.
I, on the other hand took a very small chunk on a cracker and was wowed. I had to look at the label to see what was in here, just two ingredients. The flavor was amazing, almost smoky and I hardly noticed the garlic and not too much heat at all.
However, when he convinced me to pop the rest of the fish in my mouth, I deeply regretted it. Three tissues and tears and couldn’t taste anything else for a while.
POW is a must try sardine from RTG, I recommend trying them in small bites on a bland cracker to really enjoy the amazing flavor without all the heat. We’ll be stocking up on this one! 5/5*
TinnedFishStoner (verified owner) –
This was absolutely amazing. Definitely the spiciest tin I’ve ever had, it was to the point that I had to take multiple breaks between eating, but I ended up eating it all including the beautiful pieces of garlic in there. I spread this on two pieces of toast with smoked salmon cream cheese and I had lemonade with me but even then it did take me a while to finish and I had to put the second half of the tin in the fridge to finish later. Is it worth it? Yeah, I love spicy food and I would’ve honestly ate it all in one go if it wasn’t as spicy as it was because the taste was delicious. The habanero paste is very very flavorful and this tin makes me super excited to see what RTG has to offer in the future. Great job on this masterpiece of a deens flavor, I can’t wait for more!
Dan FitzPatrick (verified owner) –
I never thought to eat these with bread or bagels or cream cheese. I ate them raw from the can like an animal and OMFG they are hot. They are quality meaty sardines, but MY GOD are they spicy. I saw some guy on YouTube try them and wuss out and I laughed-because I love spicy and clearly he doesn’t. And then I tried them. And I knew they were gonna be hot; and they were. Insane hot; I knew it was a mistake, but I’m no quitter…so I just kept eating. They are so good. But they are so hot. And now I’m sitting here with my head sweating and upper lip is full on pouring out tears somehow. But MY GOD they are great! So I’m thinking about opening another tin because I’m a a masochist and they are delicious. Congrats Dan and RTG on your own line! Amazing.
dolson.drew (verified owner) –
There is literally nothing else like these on the planet. That alone makes these tins awesome and exciting.
And . . . they’re fantastic. Was I scared? You betcha–I claim to be a spice-hunter, but really I’m sort of a crybaby, too. These babies were hot, as advertised, but they also tasted just great. I cracked open two tins and split them with my sons. No one died; all enjoyed the sampling. Much laughter around the table, which is always the goal, right? Make gifts of tins to friendd, and let them host tastings–let’s get this party started!
Habanero’s the highlight here, but let’s not forget the fish. These are as good as any I’ve ever had, in any tin, in any variety. Mariscadora and Don Gastronom have given RTG their best.
Chadwick Lindt (verified owner) –
The box says POW! It should say WOW!
These are really good. Beautiful fish. Perfect heat. What’s not to love?
I will be ordering these again.
LA (verified owner) –
Age & meds have tempered my yen for fire. Would these turn out to be fodder for macho braggadocio? Trust RTG to keep the focus on the fish. The habanero & garlic enhance the flavor of excellent sardines. The heat is in balance. A splash of vinegar or squeeze of citrus is nice, but not necessary. A neutral playing ground~~flatbread, crackers, rice~~is nice. Don’t waste the purée! I suspect it will meld well with fruit.
shs (verified owner) –
I bought these knowing they’d be too hot for me, but I couldn’t resist RTG’s first homegrown tin. I had these in a big bowl of plain whole milk yogurt with a dollop of Kewpie and a sprinkle of salt. For the first couple sardines I shook the oil off, and they were still past my comfortable tolerance, so for the remaining ones I actually wiped them on a paper towel, which did the trick. As others have said, these are super flavorful and well seasoned and not just spicy.
Was the tin too hot for me? Yes. Am I glad I tried it? Definitely. Will I get them again? Maybe not, but I will certainly recommend them to others.