Prepare me for my first taste of sardines

[Countrypolitan]

I think the ones I get at Big Lots are Brunswick brand. I like them on saltines or crispbread or Jacob’s cream crackers, splash of hot sauce, crunchy little bones, NOM NOM.

[KneadToKnow]

I got Brunswick, too. In opening them, I noticed that Brunswick is apparently a Bumble Bee brand, which I don’t associate with top quality, but I’m open to rethinking that.

[MPB_in_Salt_Lake]

@KneadToKnow

For future purchases, I’d like to second Johnny L.A.'s request for brand names.

King Oscar is a good brand…

(and I can’t eat them without a big dash of a good New Orleans-type hot sauce)

[MPB_in_Salt_Lake]

@Chefguy

What’s served by the street vendors in Lisbon are large enough to grill and are so full of bones only a Portuguese could love them. They call them sardines, however.

I had some grilled sardines in Girona (near Barcelona) that were sublime, and the bones were a mere trifle of inconvenience—some of the tastiest seafood I have ever enjoyed.

(And NOTHING like a canned sardine, which I do usually like somewhat, but they are not even in the same universe as fresh grilled)

[salinqmind]

@KneadToKnow

Well, they weren’t what I expected, but I enjoyed them. Being short on crackers, I just ate them straight out of the can.

Despite all the comments about their potency and saltiness, these were only slightly fishier tasting than tuna salad, and really not particularly salty at all.

For future purchases, I’d like to second Johnny L.A.'s request for brand names.

No, no - it’s the anchovies that are potent and salty and fishy. Sardines should not be all that. Glad you liked them, though.

[Johnny_L.A]

@KneadToKnow

Despite all the comments about their potency and saltiness, these were only slightly fishier tasting than tuna salad, and really not particularly salty at all.

I was going to comment on this earlier, but I was at work. I’ve never found sardines to be particularly fishy. I’ve had sardines that tasted remarkably like chunk-light tuna. In my experience, most sardines are fairly mild.

@MPB_in_Salt_Lake

(and I can’t eat them without a big dash of a good New Orleans-type hot sauce)

I just got home from work, and opened my last tin of sardines (Trader Joe’s lightly smoked ones). I mixed some Sriracha sauce with some soy sauce and tossed them in. Will do again.

[MPB_in_Salt_Lake]

@Johnny_L.A

I mixed some Sriracha sauce

Aahhh, Sriracha—The hair of the rooster that bit you!!!

I really wish that Trader Joe’s would finally open here in Utah…

[Gary_T]

@Johnny_L.A

Brand name, man! Sources!

@MPB_in_Salt_Lake

King Oscar is a good brand.

King Oscar is the brand I can consistently find locally. The label on the ones I have says “Finest Brisling Sardines in extra virgin olvie oil; two layer.” These aren’t the very best, but they’re quite good.

@Johnny_L.A

I can’t believe how hard it is to find small sardines.

Same here. Kansas City is pretty good size, with several grocery chains and a fair number of specialty shops, and there’s only a couple stores I know of where I can find classic sardines. It’s been years since I’ve seen the really tiny ones, and I don’t remember if that was here or out of town.

[Johnny_L.A]

I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before.

[KneadToKnow]

@salinqmind

No, no - it’s the anchovies that are potent and salty and fishy. Sardines should not be all that. Glad you liked them, though.

@Johnny_L.A

I was going to comment on this earlier, but I was at work. I’ve never found sardines to be particularly fishy. I’ve had sardines that tasted remarkably like chunk-light tuna. In my experience, most sardines are fairly mild.

Ah, good to know!

@Gary_T

King Oscar is the brand I can consistently find locally. The label on the ones I have says “Finest Brisling Sardines in extra virgin olvie oil; two layer.” These aren’t the very best, but they’re quite good.

I’ll keep my eyes open.

@Johnny_L.A

I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before.

Dude, until I saw the “pack of 12,” that almost gave me a heart attack!

[Johnny_L.A]

@KneadToKnow

Dude, until I saw the “pack of 12,” that almost gave me a heart attack!

Still comes out to three bucks a tin (for the Crown Prince ones I put in my shopping cart). I have yet to find the 89¢ ones mentioned in an earlier thread.

[LilyoftheField]

well…of course, you have to love eating fish.

but if you only ‘like’ eating fish…add a generous slice or twelve of avocado…

crackers, bread - doesn’t really matter what the carrier is - yummmm…

[Tapioca_Dextrin]

I’ll second or third the love for fresh sardines. Just toast them over an open fire like a fishy marshmallow and they’re great. I tried this with a tin of sardines with disappointing results.

[Alan_Bird]

@LilyoftheField

well…of course, you have to love eating fish.

but if you only ‘like’ eating fish…add a generous slice or twelve of avocado…

crackers, bread - doesn’t really matter what the carrier is - yummmm…

Now THIS is the best idea I’ve heard today. Not a big sardine lover but avocado makes anything better.

[Johnny_L.A]

@Tapioca_Dextrin

I’ll second or third the love for fresh sardines.

Unfortunately, they’re hard to find here. And by ‘hard to find’, I mean I’ve never seen any for sale or received an affirmative answer to my enquiries.
.

[teela_brown]

The King Oscar brand, “Tiny Tots” are the little fishies you seek. The can comes in a yellow wrapper, IIRC, and the wrapper depicts dancing Norwegians.

[rhubarbarin]

Mmm. Sardines. They sure aren’t for everyone - lots of people get offended that I eat them!

Besides being savory and delicious, they are one of the best foods for you in the world. Packed with protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, B vitamins, phospherus, and calcium.

[filling_pages]

This thread inspired me. I must be the only one who likes the slightly larger sardines that come 4 or 5 to a tin. Anyway, last night for dinner I opened a can, gave the cat the “fish water”, mushed the sardines in a bowl with a fork, mixed in some mayo and hot sauce, and had a very fine sandwich indeed. Better than tuna any day.

[Johnny_L.A]

@filling_pages

I must be the only one who likes the slightly larger sardines that come 4 or 5 to a tin.

I do. But that’s mostly because it’s hard to find the tiny ones.

I’m in the office today, and there’s a little grocery store a block down I decided I’d get a tin of sardines for a snack. They had King Oscar two-layer ones, recommended earlier in the thread. Four and a half bucks a tin, but I bought two. I also got a tin of Bumble Bee sardines, which are the larger ones, a bottle of soy sauce, and a bottle of Sriracha sauce. I’ll have the Bumble Bee ones with the sauces shortly.

[MPB_in_Salt_Lake]

@Johnny_L.A

Four and a half bucks a tin

Ouch—Here thay run about two bucks per tin.

I like sardines once in a while, but to me that price would have me looking for another snack…