TEST TIN

Many tins of sardines are truly a "Fish" story.

These Sardines are Mexican Sardinops Sagax. They were acquired by a "sardine agent" (That's all I can say, I've already said too much!)  for the Connors Bros. cannery. They are a west coast fish. 

Any time new sardines are brought in, they do several test runs. 

I was fortunate enough to get a test run tin. At the time of this tasting and their own tasting at the cannery, I was told two containers sold! I do not know what label picked these up. The quality of these fish and the taste alone... trumps anything I've had from the Connors Bros. Most of their fish are imported from Morocco and labeled a product of Canada. As these fish will be labeled a Canadian product as well.

The texture and firmness of this fish remind me of the tins I used to eat as a kid. The Pacific Sardine holds its own against Its Atlantic kin. 

I will attempt to find out what label or labels picked this shipment up, for all you sardine eaters. 

The only thing negative I can about this tin, there was only one. 

Dagim- 200

DAGIM: IN LEMON PEPPER SAUCE

APPEARANCE:

NUTRITION:

serv. 1 piece drained

Calories-
Fat Cal-
Total Fat-
Sat Fat-

Protein- 

Cholesterol- 

Sodium- 

PRODUCT OF:
Tunisia


INGREDIENTS:


PRICE:


OVERALL:

A faint lemon aroma hits you upon opening. 7 1/2 fillets to the tin. A faint lemon flavor hits you on first bite. A medium-textured fish, not to dry. No strong flavors or after-taste. A clean-tasting fish. Would eat again. 3 1/2 sardines.

DAGIM: HOT & SPICY

APPEARANCE:

NUTRITION:

serv. 1 piece drained

Calories-
Fat Cal-
Total Fat-
Sat Fat-

Protein- 

Cholesterol- 

Sodium- 

PRODUCT OF:
Tunisia


INGREDIENTS:



PRICE:


OVERALL:

Three plump fish to the tin. A faint pepper aroma upon opening. A meaty, medium-textured fish. No strong flavors or after-taste. Heat is very mild, almost undetectable. A flavorful oil, and fish. Fish holds its shape well. Would eat again. 4 sardines.

DAGIM: IN TOMATO SAUCE

APPEARANCE:

NUTRITION:

serv. 1 piece drained

Calories-
Fat Cal-
Total Fat-
Sat Fat-

Protein- 18G

Cholesterol- 

Sodium-

PRODUCT OF:
Tunisia


INGREDIENTS:
Sardines, Tomato Sauce, Salt


PRICE:


OVERALL:

Tomato aroma hits you upon opening. Six fish to the tin, a slightly tart-tasting sauce, a bit on the watery side. Lacks flavor by itself. A plain tasting fish, meaty yet soft textured. A faint tomato after-taste lingers. May would eat again. 3 1/2 sardines.

DAGIM: IN SOYA OIL

APPEARANCE:

NUTRITION:

serv. 1 piece drained

Calories-
Fat Cal-
Total Fat-
Sat Fat

Protein- 

Cholesterol-

Sodium- 

PRODUCT OF:
Tunisia


INGREDIENTS:
Sardines, Soya Oil, Salt


PRICE:



OVERALL:
A faint oil aroma hits you upon opening. Three plump, patchy scaled fish to the tin, with extra sheets of scales as a surprise under the fish. A meaty fish, no strong fish taste or after. A faint oil flavor lingers afterward. May would eat again. 2 1/2 sardines.

DAGIM: IN OLIVE OIL

 APPEARANCE:

NUTRITION:

serv. 1 piece drained

Calories-220
Fat Cal- 140
Total Fat- 16g
Sat Fat-2g

Protein- 18G

Cholesterol- 40MG

Sodium- 300g

PRODUCT OF:
Tunisia


INGREDIENTS:
Sardines, Olive Oil, Salt


PRICE:


OVERALL:

No strong aroma upon opening. Three plump, scaled fish to the tin. A meaty fish, scales are noticeable. No strong fishy taste or after taste. A light-tasting oil. Would eat again. 3 1/2 sardines

DAGIM: OLIVE OIL WITH LEMON WEDGE

APPEARANCE:

NUTRITION:

serv. 2 

Calories-130
Fat Cal- 77
Total Fat- 8.5g
Sat Fat-1.5g

Protein- 13G

Cholesterol- 25MG

Sodium- 200mg

PRODUCT OF:
Morocco


INGREDIENTS:
Sardines, Pure Olive Oil, Lemon, Salt


PRICE:


OVERALL:
A faint oil/lemon combo aroma upon opening. Five fish to the tin; A meaty fish, a subtle lemon flavor hits you on the first bite. Salt is very detectable. Not a dry fish. no strong fish flavor or after. 4 1/2 Sardines

Conserverie Parmenter- 194

CONSERVERIE PARMENTIER: IN EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

APPEARANCE:

NUTRITION:

serv. 1

Calories-229 kcal
Total Fat- 15g
Protein- 23,5 G

Sodium- 1,0 g

PRODUCT OF: 

France

INGREDIENTS:

Sardines, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt

PRICE:

OVERALL:

Oil aroma upon opening, Four plump fish to the tin. A meaty fish. A medium-textured fish holds its shape well. A roe-filled fish, roe is not noticeable. A mild-tasting oil does not overpower the fish. No strong flavors or after. 4 Sardines.

LINK

Paco Lafuente- 190

APPEARANCE:

NUTRITION:

serv. 1

Calories-206 kcal
Total Fat- 11,5g
Sat Fat-2,5g
Protein- 24,6G

Sodium- 0,3 g

PRODUCT OF: 

Spain

INGREDIENTS:

Sardines, Virgin Organic Olive Oil, Salt

PRICE:

OVERALL:
A faint oil aroma upon opening. Three plump fish to the tin. A soft/medium textured fish. A mild yet, flavorful fish. A clean-tasting fish. No strong flavors or after. Not a spiny fish. A mild flavor oil. 5 Sardines.

APPEARANCE:

NUTRITION:

serv. 1

Calories-206 kcal
Total Fat- 12g
Sat Fat-2,5g
Protein- 24,6G

Sodium- 0,8 g

PRODUCT OF: 

Spain

INGREDIENTS:

Sardines, Olive Oil, Salt

PRICE:

OVERALL:

A faint oil aroma upon opening. Four plump fish to the tin. (the appearance of this tin is the definition of food porn) A medium-textured fish holds its shape well. A flavorful fish, salt is noticeable in this tin. No strong flavors or after. Not a spiny fish. A consistent flavor and consistency throughout the tin. A clean-tasting fish. 5 Sardines.

APPEARANCE:

NUTRITION:

N/A

PRODUCT OF: 

Spain

INGREDIENTS:
Sardines, Olive Oil, Tomatoes, Salt

PRICE:

OVERALL:
A faint tomato aroma upon opening. Four pretty, plump fish to the tin. A medium textured fish; a mild-flavored fish. The fish rest on a bed of flavorful tomatoes, to be scooped out and placed on the sardines. It's hard to believe this is out of a tin, such flavors. No strong flavors or aftertaste; the only aftertaste I get is craving more. 5 Sardines.

Number 9

Sardine sandwich, technically called a Bánh mì, is what I had the pleasure of devouring at Le's Cafe in Charlotte, NC.

After hearing about Le's Cafe a few weeks ago and most importantly after hearing that they served a Sardine Bánh mì... It was time for a road trip!



After just hearing "Sardine Bánh mì", I became Pavlov's dog. Joining me on this Road Trip was my buddy Matthew (non-Sardine Eater... We're still friends). I wanted to get the opinion of a non-sardine eater on the sandwich as well.



As I walked in, all the sandwiches offered were posted up behind the counter, and there it was... The #9 Sardine Sandwich! As I placed my order the gentleman behind the counter informed me the #9 was fish. After confirming I knew it was fish, my order was placed.

Matthew followed suit, asking for the #9. The gentleman informed Matthew that it was fish, asking if he was sure he wanted the #9 (He must have sensed the hesitation in Matthew's ordering style, or he may have seen through Matthew, knowing he was a non-Sardine Eater in disguise! Whatever it was, he just became the Bánh mì master to me.)

He then asked  Matthew if this was his first visit. (The master already knew.) Matthew replied yes. The Bánh mì master informed Matthew he would probably want to go with the #4 or #6 for his first time. Matthew stayed on course and went with the #9.



The Sardine Bánh mì is great. It has a hint of spice and a nice crunch from the veggies. It is a fresh and filling sandwich.

From the non-Sardine eater's point of view. "It was great!" That says a lot!

As I ate the Bánh mì, I thought I recognized the sardines used. I informed Matthew of my thoughts. It was as if I was speaking a foreign language to him. (We all have non-sardine eating friends; I'm sure you know the look.) As we were leaving, I asked the Bánh mì Master about the sardines.



Me: I really enjoyed the sandwich. What brand of sardines do you use?



Bánh mì Master: They are canned fish.



Me: Yes, but what brand?



Bánh mì Master: They are canned fish from (he stated country).



I was pretty sure at this point I was not worthy of this knowledge. I named dropped the brand I thought they were. He paused for a second and said, "yes, that's it." So, in Mouth Full of Sardine's fashion, if you go and enjoy a Sardine Bánh mìi at Le's, which you should, and he tells you the same answer, I'll send you a sardine kit. If--the answer matches mine.

I look forward to going back. I'll be back there again next week, actually!

For a great Bánh mì, go check out Le's Sandwiches & Cafe located at 4520 N Tryon St #41, Charlotte, NC 28213

The Number 9 - Banh Mi Ca Moi... Sardine Banh Mi. Our blend of spices and seasoning, house mayo, crushed sardines, fresh onions, fried red onions, pickled carrots and daikons, fresh jalapeño and cilantro. -- A lot of people, including myself, love this Banh Mi. If you grew up eating sardines right out of the can, on crackers or toast. This one is for you.

A photo posted by Le's Sandwiches (@les_banhmi_clt) on Jun 14, 2016 at 7:28am PDT

Great food, super nice people, home of the Bánh mì master, and the #9 is all any true Sardine Eater needs to enjoy!

Check out Le's Sandwiches on Instagram and Twitter for plenty of hunger pain photos and info.


Keep popping those tins, Sardine Eaters, or eating that Sardine Bánh mì!

Matthew, your next Bánh mì is on me.