Deep Dives: The Hunt For The Daily Driver

These are true sardines (Sardinus pilchardus) caught off the coast of Portugal, with the addition of a spicy red pepper.

120g tin

Pictured pan fried and topped with herb pesto.

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.

Something of a minor cult classic among the kind of tinned seafood fans who make regular pilgrimages to ethnic grocery stores in their quest to try all the sardines. This is a sardine with superfans.

The tin I sampled had three big and one small fish. They were firm and fell apart as I worked them onto crackers with my fork. They weren’t pretty but they were definitely pretty good

124g (4.38 oz) tin

Pictured with scrambled eggs and sourdough toast.

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.

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 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, they’re a sardine a lot of sardine lovers love.

120g tin

Have you been looking for a smoked sprat in olive oil? Here you go.

120g (4.23oz) tin

Some like the chonkers, some like the little guys, some like the ones in between. We like them all, when they’re this good. These are little guys, but not sprats.

115g tin