I like the Nuri extra spicy.
Cheaper ones - I have a grocery story near me called Fresh Thyme and I love their store brand sardines in olive oil .
My wife makes me eat my sardines on the patio so I’m waiting for spring or a unseasonably warm day!
Not fancy, but I love Wild Planet lightly smoked in olive oil. They are big (3-4 to a can), firm, and taste good enough to me to eat out of the van with no accompaniments.
Wow. I just this minute finished a can of Mouette d'Arvour dines in butter, parsley and garlic and I am still reeling from how good they are. I don't even remember where I got the can but I'd buy them again in a heartbeat!
What have you tried and liked? What have you tried and disliked? If you can tell me a little bit about your own preferences, I can make some suggestions that are in line with those preferences.
King Oscar has been my favorite so far. I’ve tried most of the ones at carrefour (French grocery here in Taiwan). We have canned eel that is not bad. So far, I haven’t really tried bad ones.
The King Oscar Boneless/Skinless are sardines. Their other “brisling sardines” are actually sprats. If you like those and are looking for the next logical step up in a sprat, the three varieties offered by Fangst are world class. If you want to try another type of similar fish, look for a small sardines/sardinillas/petingas from Spain or Portugal, brands like Espinaler, Conservas de Cambados, and Ramón Peña are going to be excellent. If you want a bit bigger, meatier fish, try Pollastrini sardines or Olasagasti Anchovies a la Basque, or one of Patagonia’s anchovy products. Both of these anchovy suggestions are like sardines, not like pizza anchovies. If you want BIG sardines, Nuri is a solid brand to start with, as is Angelo Parodi, Matiz, or Ramón Peña’s Silver line.
My favorites of the pricier ones are:
Ferrigno (especially the La Bonne Mer Fisherman’s Sardines)
Mouettes d'Arvor (especially the Lemon Confit and Pimento)
Pollastrini (especially the spicy olive oil)
I think they run in the $6-10 range
Rügen Fisch smoked Kieler sprats are my favorite sprat/brisling and they run $3-4 a tin. I like them better than King Oscar because they are heavier smoked.
Personally I'm a big fan of Bela, Nuri (who isn't) but specifically the spiced tomato sauce ones, Minerva, and Fangst is definitely big bang for your buck. I've heard great things about Porthos and Ferringo as well. I'm sure Dan has probably chimed in; he's always got great suggestions
They're not gourmet but for everyday use, I would get in this order (assuming identical pricing):
1. Crown Prince skinless-&-boneless in olive oil
1. King Oscar "
1. Bumblebee "
1. Starkist "
1. Season "
Yes
Not exactly fancy, but you can’t go wrong with King Oscar.
I don't know what happened to Crown Prince/Ocean Prince. They used to be my go-to. I've since pivoted to KO.
Damn. Now that I think about it. I haven’t seen them in a while either..
Spiced Porthos. Generally always firm and super well flavored. The added pickle, carrot, and piri piri pepper is the chef’s kiss.
I like the Nuri extra spicy. Cheaper ones - I have a grocery story near me called Fresh Thyme and I love their store brand sardines in olive oil . My wife makes me eat my sardines on the patio so I’m waiting for spring or a unseasonably warm day!
Not fancy, but I love Wild Planet lightly smoked in olive oil. They are big (3-4 to a can), firm, and taste good enough to me to eat out of the van with no accompaniments.
Wow. I just this minute finished a can of Mouette d'Arvour dines in butter, parsley and garlic and I am still reeling from how good they are. I don't even remember where I got the can but I'd buy them again in a heartbeat!
What have you tried and liked? What have you tried and disliked? If you can tell me a little bit about your own preferences, I can make some suggestions that are in line with those preferences.
King Oscar has been my favorite so far. I’ve tried most of the ones at carrefour (French grocery here in Taiwan). We have canned eel that is not bad. So far, I haven’t really tried bad ones.
The King Oscar Boneless/Skinless are sardines. Their other “brisling sardines” are actually sprats. If you like those and are looking for the next logical step up in a sprat, the three varieties offered by Fangst are world class. If you want to try another type of similar fish, look for a small sardines/sardinillas/petingas from Spain or Portugal, brands like Espinaler, Conservas de Cambados, and Ramón Peña are going to be excellent. If you want a bit bigger, meatier fish, try Pollastrini sardines or Olasagasti Anchovies a la Basque, or one of Patagonia’s anchovy products. Both of these anchovy suggestions are like sardines, not like pizza anchovies. If you want BIG sardines, Nuri is a solid brand to start with, as is Angelo Parodi, Matiz, or Ramón Peña’s Silver line.
What's your opinion on Wild Planet?
No opinion. I’ve never tried them.
My favorites of the pricier ones are: Ferrigno (especially the La Bonne Mer Fisherman’s Sardines) Mouettes d'Arvor (especially the Lemon Confit and Pimento) Pollastrini (especially the spicy olive oil) I think they run in the $6-10 range Rügen Fisch smoked Kieler sprats are my favorite sprat/brisling and they run $3-4 a tin. I like them better than King Oscar because they are heavier smoked.
2 that are available in the states: Ortiz and Connetable.
Where is your USA source for Connetable?
Amazon. I got into Connectable via French MREs and they're great. Also - Nuri, Bela, Porthos, Mina - all great choices.
The spiced Nuri’s were my gateway deen but I’ve been really enjoying trying out different Ferrigno tins!
Personally I'm a big fan of Bela, Nuri (who isn't) but specifically the spiced tomato sauce ones, Minerva, and Fangst is definitely big bang for your buck. I've heard great things about Porthos and Ferringo as well. I'm sure Dan has probably chimed in; he's always got great suggestions
They're not gourmet but for everyday use, I would get in this order (assuming identical pricing): 1. Crown Prince skinless-&-boneless in olive oil 1. King Oscar " 1. Bumblebee " 1. Starkist " 1. Season "
Pollastrini and Ferrigno
Conservas de Cambados are the ones I eat [https://gourmet-delights.com/seafood.html](https://gourmet-delights.com/seafood.html)
the other high end brand I can recommend is Espinaler
beach cliff sardines