We Taste-Tested 17 Brands of Canned Sardines—Our Winner May Surprise You

I all the time preserve a dozen sorts of tinned fish at residence. This humble pantry staple is the final word shortcut for fast, satisfying meals on busy days. All I’ve to do is crack open a can, assemble a number of greens and grains, and I’ve a scrumptious meal.

But nowadays, strolling into the canned items aisle of a grocery retailer can really feel fairly overwhelming. There are many canned fish choices to select from: anchovies, tuna, salmon, and mackerel, all obtainable packed in olive oil, together with many enjoyable flavors, corresponding to spicy piri-piri and tangy preserved lemon. Canned sardines are my favourite for his or her flakiness, wealthy however delicate taste, and substantial dimension. I like consuming them on their very own or with easy salted crackers or baguette slices. They’re additionally scrumptious with charred greens, on salads, and tucked into sandwiches.

To discover the easiest canned sardines, our editors sampled 17 completely different manufacturers that you simply’re more likely to discover at your native grocery retailer or on-line. We caught to sardines submerged in olive oil, though some manufacturers had pure smoke as an ingredient. We opened every tin, positioned the fillets into bowls, then sampled them in random order with out realizing which model was which. After snacking our means by many, many sardines, we tabulated the outcomes and topped an general winner, in addition to 4 worthy contenders that we would be pleased to eat anytime we wish a fast, scrumptious, and protein-packed meal.

The Criteria

Great canned sardines must be tender, meaty, and succulent. They must be well-seasoned: Though a contact of salt is welcome, it shouldn’t style just like the ocean. Each sardine fillet ought to maintain its form and flake aside into good, sizable chunks (not flip to mush). Because the standard of each the fish and the olive oil impacts the general taste of the canned fish, the sardines and oil used must be of top of the range. The oil shouldn’t style rancid, bitter, or bitter, and the sardines must be pleasantly fishy, however not excessively so.

Overall Winner

Patagonia Provisions Sardines in Olive Oil

These canned sardines have been the overwhelming favourite. “Delicious, mildly smoky. No complaints,” wrote our editorial director, Daniel, who gave high marks throughout the board for taste and texture. Our affiliate culinary editor, Laila, was equally obsessed with these and loved the assertive, fishy flavors and the lingering smoky end. She exclaimed: “LOVE THESE SO MUCH!” Both our affiliate visuals director, Amanda, and our senior editor, Genevieve, dubbed the flavour of those as “good,” which is excessive reward in our style check world. Meanwhile, our affiliate editorial director, Megan, who as soon as ordered two circumstances of sardines by mistake however truly managed to eat (and luxuriate in) all of them, mentioned these can be her new go-to. However, our visuals editor, Jessie, thought they have been a bit on the salty facet.

Runners-Up

• Ati Manal Sardines in Olive Oil
• Trader Joe’s Sardines in Olive Oil Wth Smoked Flavor
• Jose Gourmet Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Season Premium Brisling Sardines in Olive Oil

Though our editors did not get pleasure from these canned sardines fairly as a lot as our winner, they nonetheless thought the 4 above have been excellent and can be pleased to eat them on their very own or serve them with bread and crudités at a cocktail party.

Everyone praised the flavour of Ati Manal Sardines in Olive Oilwhich was properly fishy and further savory. The texture, nonetheless, divided a few of our editors. Laila loved the “buttery” texture of the sardines, and Genevieve thought they have been tender and flaky. Daniel and Amanda, nonetheless, thought they appeared a contact too dry.

Laila loved Trader Joe’s Sardines in Olive Oil With Smoked Flavor for its meaty texture and savoriness: “The seasoning is spot-on—salty sufficient to amplify the fish’s pure taste.” Jessie thought these had a subtler taste in comparison with different manufacturers, making it an appropriate alternative for these attempting tinned sardines for the primary time or those that desire canned fish on the delicate facet. Some of the fillets had tiny bones; whereas that is typical for a lot of manufacturers, Amanda did not respect having to select them out and would have most popular a clean, boneless fillet.

Another workers favourite was Jose Gourmet Sardines in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, which leans closely on the olive oil notes. Both Genevieve and Daniel discovered the flavour of the olive oil a bit sturdy, however did not thoughts, because it tasted like high-quality oil to them. Though Jessie would have most popular extra tender fillets, they nonetheless preferred the general taste of the fish.

Our editors appreciated the delicate and mellow flavors in Season Brisling Sardines in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. “The olive oil has a powerful presence, which I like because it provides richness and depth,” Laila famous. Like Laila, Amanda thought the fish have been pleasantly buttery. The texture of the sardines, nonetheless, was up for debate. While Jessie thought the fillets have been properly tender, Genevieve and Daniel discovered the fish a bit too mushy.

The Contenders

1. Ati Manal Sardines in Olive Oil
2. Bar Harbor Wild Petite Sardines in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
3. BELA Lightly Smoked Sardines in Olive Oil
4. Brunswick Boneless Butterflied Sardine Fillets
5. Gonsalves Sadines in Olive Oil
6. Henry & Lisa’s Wild Sardines In Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
7. Jose Gourmet Sardines in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
8. King Oscar Wild Caught Sardines in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
9. Maria Organic Sardines in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
10. Mina Sardines in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
11. Ortiz Sardines in Olive Oil
12. Patagonia Provisions Sardines in Olive Oil
13. Regalis Large Sardines in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
14. Sea Tales Pilchard Sardines in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
15. Season Premium Brisling Sardines in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
16. Trader Joe’s Lightly Smoked Sardines in Olive Oil
17. Wild Planet Wild Sardines in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

We loved most of the canned sardines we tried, particularly these packed in extra-virgin olive oil. Most premium manufacturers use extra-virgin olive oil, which is mechanically pressed from ripe olives with out excessive warmth or chemical solvents. Extra-virgin olive oil sometimes has a powerful taste, and a few have grassy, peppery notes that may overwhelm the fish. If you favor sardines with a stronger fish taste over these with extra-virgin olive oil, you is perhaps higher off choosing fish submerged in common olive oil. Our winner and two runners-up promote their fish in extra-virgin—as a substitute of normal—olive oil. Our winner, Patagonia Provisions Sardines in Olive Oil, accommodates solely three substances: extra-virgin olive oil, sardines, and salt.

Some manufacturers, together with Trader Joe’s, add “smoked taste” or pure flavors to boost the flavour of the sardines. Our editors did not assume the added flavors made the sardines any tastier; extra vital was the standard of the fish and olive oil used.

Many sardines are offered with their pores and skin and bones intact for the reason that excessive stress and warmth of the canning course of soften the bones, making them straightforward to chew. While the bones don’t essentially alter the ultimate product’s taste, they’ll add a slight grittiness that some folks don’t love. (Our editors personally did not thoughts them.) Our general winner from Patagonia and all 4 of our runners-up use sardines packed bone-in and skin-on.

Our editors discovered that small, younger sardines have been sometimes extra tender, whereas giant fillets—which come from extra mature fish—tended to be a contact too dry for our style. Surprisingly, the most costly tins we sampled—Ati Manal Sardines in Olive Oil and Jose Gourmet Sardines in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil—fell into this class. Both have been scrumptious, however have been a bit drier than the opposite contenders. If dryness is a matter, we suggest including a splash of extra-virgin olive oil, from both the can or a bottle, for added moisture and richness.

Our Testing Methodology

All style assessments are performed with manufacturers utterly hidden and with out dialogue. Tasters style samples in random order. For instance, taster A might style pattern one first, whereas taster B will style pattern six first. This is to forestall palate fatigue from unfairly giving anybody pattern a bonus. Tasters are requested to fill out tasting sheets, rating the samples in response to varied standards. All information is tabulated, and outcomes are calculated with no editorial enter to offer essentially the most neutral illustration of precise outcomes doable.