A Fish What...

 

A fish tale!

Sardines, drinks, friends, and fish tales go hand in fin! 

Many of the blogs older Sardine Eaters are aware of the fish tales that go into some posts from time to time. 

For the newer Sardine Eaters, I'll explain a bit. 

In a review, I may post apparent wrong descriptions; the number of fish in the tin will be significantly exaggerated more or less, apparent sauces mix up. e.g., tomato, call it olive oil (I never fish tale about quality or taste). When I'm called on or questioned about the very obvious, the sharp-eyed Sardine Eater receives a tin and sticker.

It's been several years since I've done a fish tale of the sorts; the last fish tale was about Sardine lungs! 

I've carried the fish tale over to social media for the first time. What a response I received. Some were quick on the draw; older readers called me on it quick, even sending screenshots of my own blog. I love the passion of Sardine Eaters! 

For the Sardine Eaters not on social media, here's the fish tale.

INSTAGRAM POST

While canneries do package their tinned fish for other labels, they usually change and or tweak the ingredients a bit. A Brand as Nuri from Conservas Pinhas will not use their brand name for an export with such discrepancies. A label change is all that's occurred. When I first reviewed Nuri in 2014, I received the tins from "Portuguese is Happiness." The old labels and nutrition values were on them then. 

Not all canneries; some commercial canneries will can sardines/products in mass quantity then add a label later. I've been approached many times over the years by said canneries to do a Mouth Full of Sardine label. If I did that, I have a feeling Sardine Eaters from all over would find me and hurl those generic cans at me! But that's another post! 

Congratulations to the sharp-eyed, skeptical, and curious Sardine Eaters that reached out. You'll be receiving a tin and stickers shortly. 

Remember Sardine Eaters, with the uprise in Sardine popularity, new Sardine Eaters, sardine bloggers, reviewers, YouTubers, tiktokers, etc. Research all that you read and see, and most importantly, the taste is subjective! Don't not try a tin, based on someone else's opinion; trying new tins is what being a Sardine Eater is all about! Plus, it gives you great stories to tell, for better or worse!

And most importantly, they're tuna eaters out there pretending to be Sardine Eaters!

Keep popping those tins!

Ortiz-202

ORTIZ: IN OLIVE OIL

APPEARANCE:

NUTRITION:

Serv. Size: two pieces 

Calories- 84
Fat Cal- 43
Total Fat- 5g
Sat Fat- 1g

Protein- 10g

Cholesterol- 24mg

Sodium- 304mg

PRODUCT OF:

Spain


INGREDIENTS:

Sardines, Olive Oil, Salt

OVERALL:

Five beautiful, plump fish. A nice faint oil aroma upon opening. Nothing but the flavor on the first bite. A mild-tasting fish, no strong flavors, no after-taste from the fish or oil. Fish holds its shaping excellent. Not a spiny fish; fish is an attractive fish all the way around, with no patches of skin or fish missing. A medium-textured fish. Would eat again. 5 Sardines

Mail Bag

Hello,

I just found your sea of sardine love. The Sardine Society blog has gone dormant and may have been schooling around my area.

On the weekend my dad will eat a cheap tin of sardines and I’d watch. It was only as I got toward my Wrinkley years did an interest and obsession take hold. Cases of Saltines and the gallon version of Franks Red Hot.

The shelf usually has 50-100 cans for emergency back-up, that being every day usually, but slowing recently.

My German mother got us to Germany and I continue to go. Not sardine country in the southern part where my cousins live but close to France and the giant Carrefour HyperMarket. 

That takes us to England for John West (well known brand) , Cornish sardines, and the love of mackerel.  Google Kraster Kippers.

On the way to the coast (Astoria: Kindergarten Cop, The Goonies both filmed there)  taking the Columbia River route we stopped at a history marker about John West.

Astoria was once a huge fishing community of Scandinavians and Finns. Tuna and salmon that ran so thick it was scooped out with what looked like  water wheels. Not much left today except that sardine have been running more northerly. Caught mostly for bait and frozen but some fresh does show up. I’ve canned Albacore several times while camping.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_West_Foods   (read history)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_West_%28captain%29  (down to Biography)

Riga Gold has mackerel also.  Very good.

The Germans have herring in various canned forms with their Baltic Sea border.  Alstertor, Ruegenfisch, …

While at  a big Korean store here I see their canned fish is Saury. The can states Pike Mackerel but it is not a mackerel. The Russians have in also, which in Cyrilic looks like ‘Caupa.’ I like this with a little slather of Best Foods Mayo.  We’re not salad dressing people in the Northwest.   The Japanese eat it also.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_saury

Wild Planet’s sardines used to be “sustainably caught off the California coast”;  now it is ”north pacific ocean.” But packed in Vietnam. I wonder if they didn’t take large blocks of frozen bait sardines from here and can them there?

Thank you for the blog and ratings.  Would it be possible to put your sardine rating next to the tin named  being reviewed so that the reader can see the highest ratings without having to go to each review?

I’ll talk about Matjes sometime. Wow vee.

Thanks again,

Eric Goranson

Portland , Oregon

Travel Channel show inquiry

My name is Jeff Mandell and I’m a producer for the Travel Channel show Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. We are planning an upcoming episode in Lisbon and I came across your website while doing some research on sardines.

I have a few questions and am thinking you might have some insight. Do you have any time this week to chat?

Please let me know!

Thanks,

Jeff Mandell

Jeff Mandell  —  Segment Producer

BIZARRE FOODS AMERICA WITH ANDREW ZIMMERN Travel Channel

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We can smell you from over here ..

Hello!

This is D.L. Anderson, a fellow lover of the tinned fish up the road in Durham. I've been thoroughly enjoying your compendium of all things sardine, especially the tasting notes. I'm a proud member of The Grand Order of The Sardinier, which is a men's civic league dedicated to the discrete enjoyment of tinned sea creatures and spiritous libations. We have gatherings once every quarter at various well-ventilated locations and have the following, humble requirements for entry; one or two tins of fish and a story of their source (real or imagined) or a poem or both, plus respectable attire (sport coats, blazers, clip-on) and a cordial disposition. 

"I want to go quick like a seedless olive into the mouth of a fool, 

as young girls keep arriving from Des Moines wiggling like sardines in a striped dress, 

what does it mean, listening to Beethoven now?"

- Charles Bukowski (the rest of the story)

We appreciate all the work you're doing to catalog and celebrate sardines and we would be honored to host you for one of our events if you're ever planning a trip to the area. 

We are also quite interested in attending the sardine fest in Aberdeen. 

All the best,

DLA

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Thank you to sardine eater Gina for another great tin of fish. That was truly a wonderful surprise.


Some of you sardine eaters have started looking for BPA free sardines. Along with Vital Choice having BPA free cans, there are a few more out there . Wild Planet, Rain Coast , King Oscar, and certain tins of Ocean Prince are BPA free tins. Trader Joe's does have BPA free canned goods, but sardines are not one of them. From a letter they put out last year, they are attempting to move more of their canned goods to BPA free. Sardines may be on the list.

The French just put into effect a law banning BPA in any products intended for children under three. That law took effect in Dec. 26th 2012. 

If any of you sardine eaters know of any or run across other BPA free sardines, let us know.

Keep popping those tins Sardine Eaters!

BPA free Sardine tins

RAIN COAST

WILD PLANET

VITAL CHOICE

OCEAN PRINCE
KING OSCAR
SIMPLY BALANCED
HENRY & LISA'S