All the King Oscar

Back in olden times, King Oscar used to offer their products in the USA under three different brand names, depending on the region of the country they were being sold in. The three brands were King Oscar, Tiny Tots, and Spirit of Norway. Over the years the Spirit of Norway brand was phased out, but the Tiny Tots following was just too devoted to the brand. Legend and lore say that there’s a little more “royal love” in the Tiny Tots than in the King Oscar. Who are we to argue with irrational passions?

Two layer, 12-22 fish.

106g tin

Wild caught and hand packed in olive oil, these aren’t just a great entry-level sardine, they may well become your everyday tin.

125g tin

Pictured on toast triangles with avocado an dijon mustard.

Spiced sardines in olive oil from one brand or another is the number one seller here. Everyone loves a bit of the spicy a bit of the carrot a bit of the pickle to go along with their ‘dine.

Also available as part of our Fish Dish: Seriously Spicy Ramen.

120g tin

Pictured on tabbouleh with cucumbers and tomatoes.

Lemon and fish, need I say more? OK, I will. Nothing cuts through the oil in the same way as citrus, it’s one of the world’s most firmly fixed pairings for a reason: lemon makes seafood taste better.

115g tin

Pictured on tabbouleh with cucumbers and tomatoes.

In three short years since introducing their line of mackerel fillet products King Oscar has become the world leader in mackerel sales. Repeat customers are the reason for this unprecedented feat.

115g tin

Pictured on wheat toast with avocado an lemon.

If you spend any time in any of the online groups where tinned fish lovers gather in any kind of numbers a few fan favorites become obvious, and this is definitely one of them. People who try this love it. We did and do, too.

It’s perhaps a tad stronger flavored in the fishy sense than other mackerels, and it’s not packed to be the centerpiece of your seacuterie board, but the quality of the meat and the flavor of the additional ingredients makes this an excellent tin to stock up on.

115g tin

Pictured on crostini with chive cream cheese, red onion, and scallions.

Nothing beats the combination of mackerel fillets and jalapeño pepper in our book. This is one of our go-to tins when we just want a quick snack between meals or as a lightning fast meal.

115g tin

Pictured in onigiri.

There are three types of smoked herring: “buckling” is hot-smoked whole; “bloaters” are cold-smoked whole; “kippers” are split and gutted, and then cold-smoked. Cold-smoked fish that have not been salted for preservation must be cooked before being eaten safely (they can be boiled, fried, grilled, jugged or roasted, for instance). “Kipper snacks”, like these, are precooked fillets and may be eaten without further preparation.

Kippers and eggs is a delicious breakfast. Kippers and beer go together like rock and roll. King Oscar kippered herring snacks may be one of the most widely consumed non-tuna tinned fish products of all time.

100g tin

8-22 sprats (brisling sardines) hand-packed with Spanish olive oil and sliced manzanilla olives. We’re big fans of sprats and of packing tinned fish with natural flavoring agents chosen with care. At the low end of tinned fish you’ll find manufacturers attempting to mask the poor quality of their fish with industrial tomato paste and mustard. These take the opposite approach. By starting with high quality tiny, succulent sprats and augmenting them with top-notch additional ingredients the effect is not to drown out but to lift up and enhance. We love these as a snack with crackers, or as a quick salad topper that turns a plate of mixed greens from pretty good to wow.

While not huge fans of plastic, overall, we have to admit that the plastic lids are a big improvement on the experience. Their easy removal means no spillage of olive oil, which with many metal-lidded products is practically impossible to avoid.

3.75 oz tin

Pictured on tabbouleh with cucumbers and tomatoes.

8-22 sprats (brisling sardines) hand-packed with Spanish olive oil and red bell peppers, garlic, rosemary and hot chili. These are not so spicy that you need to worry about the heat, they’ve just got a little bit of zip to let you know you’re eating something really good. It’s our own preference that any tinned product with tomatoes (and/or onions) is best served at least slightly warmed. While these can be eaten straight from the tin, or with crackers or toasted bread, our favorite way to consume them is tossed with freshly cooked wide egg noodles, the heat from which will make everything taste better.

3.75 oz tin

Pictured on crostini with hard boiled egg and chive cream cheese.

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 22-38 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 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.

Hand-packed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a blend of white, pink, green, and black peppercorns to add a complex little bite of piperene to the classic oily flavor of brisling sprats.

One layer, 8-12 fish

106g tin

Pictured in potato pancakes. Recipe from Tin Fish Gourmet

When polled, 9 out of 10 sardine eaters who used to share them with their grandfather while sitting on his lap remember the sardines being in mustard. It’s science. Grandfathers know what’s good. We find something about the Dijon mustard flavor seems to slightly amplify the fishy flavor, and not in a bad way. We highly recommend serving with red onions and a dark rye bread.

One layer, 8-12 fish

106g tin

Pictured with bread grilled in fish oil, red onion, butter lettuce, and hard boiled egg.

This flavor from King Oscar made its debut in 2021 and has quickly become one of the most sought after tins in the line. Capers add a briney but tart sea flavor, and we all know how vinegar partners with olive oil. Try pouring off the liquid and whisking it together to turn it into a vinaigrette that you can dress the sardines and/or a salad with. It doesn’t make a thick sauce, but will definitely emulsify enough to coat mixed greens.

One layer, 8-12 fish

106g tin

Pictured with a fresh herb roll.

The four pillars of tinned fish are: plain in olive oil, olive oil and lemon, olive oil and hot pepper of some kind, and tomato sauce. These are the combinations that are universally recognized as good.

We prefer to serve products with tomato sauce (and/or onions) at least warmed, we believe it makes for a better mouthfeel experience. But what do we know about tomatoes? Lots of people happily eat them straight from the tin. Our favorite way is to pour the tin out over a dish of freshly made rice and let the hot rice warm the sauce and the ‘dines. There is no wrong way if you like it.

One layer, 8-12 fish

106g tin

Pictured curried on toast. Recipe from Tin Fish Gourmet.

Sure, tinned fish in olive oil is the purest expression of the art. But let’s face it, spice is the variety of life. Jalapeño is the just-right heat to go along with the oily goodness of sprats.

Two layer, 12-22 fish

106g tin

Pictured in onigiri.

We call these a “fan favorite” because people who really love sardines, people who stock up on them, people who buy them by the case, people who eat a lot of sardines of all kinds, love this product. It’s a great combination executed expertly. With Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Herbes de Provence, Red Bell Pepper, Black Olives and Garlic

One layer, 8-12 fish

106g tin

Pictured on crostini with chive cream cheese and beet pickled red onion.

The classic combination of lemon and seafood. Perfect for eating right from the tin, with crackers, or as part of your favorite sardine recipes. Don’t have a favorite sardine recipe? Ask us when you order, we’ve got a million of them.

One layer, 8-12 fish

106g tin

Pictured in onigiri.

When we first sampled this product we were stunned by the price, and even questioned it to be sure it was right. This is one of the best tinned salmon products on the market, and the price means it can be a daily driver.

115g tin

When we first sampled this product we were stunned by the price, and even questioned it to be sure it was right. This is one of the best tinned salmon products on the market, and the price means it can be a daily driver.

115g tin

When we first sampled this product we were stunned by the price, and even questioned it to be sure it was right. This is one of the best tinned salmon products on the market, and the price means it can be a daily driver.

115g tin