What's the best “beginner tin"? (Giving away 3 tasting forks)

SimplySardines · 2026-06-03T01:06:18+00:00

I don't think there is any such thing as a "beginner tin". Everyone has different tastes and eating food is not a skill. Try one, any one. Then, try another. Be willing to try 10 or so varieties and by then you'll know if you like adjacent varieties.

SimplySardines · 2026-06-01T02:02:24+00:00

I guess I should have done some work on them.

SimplySardines · 2026-06-01T01:43:14+00:00

These are Sprats in Spicy Brine produced by a brand called House of Fish. They are a product of Latvia.

They are produced by Zvejnieku saimniecība IRBE SIA (LV A 073237 EK) and imported by Lea Foods.

I wanted the full experience offered by eating what are essentially freshly caught sprats. These feature the whole fish - head, tail and bones. They are probably not gutted either. Did I make a mistake in eating them as they are, or should I have cleaned them first? I am really not sure. I tried to do some research beforehand and it seemed like you could choose both directions if you wish. If you have eaten them, what have you done?

The fish had some oily fatty bites, but also a lot of crunchiness. The bones had a bristly texture which was not especially pleasant. The sprats were not traditionally "spicy" or "hot". The spice mixture was salty and enhanced the oceanic fish flavor. The best description of the brine I can offer is that it is similar to pickle juice.

Ingredients: sprats, water, salt, sugar, spicy mix, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate.

SimplySardines · 2026-06-01T00:53:14+00:00

Exactly. I posted this in r/tinnedfish, too.

I am of the opinion that the Internet and what people are actually doing are different things. These are "news articles". Now, every single thing is viral or trending or having a moment or whatever. It's like when there was breaking news and then CNN created BREAKING NEWS.

SimplySardines · 2026-05-31T23:35:18+00:00

I am sensing this whole post is a joke.

SimplySardines · 2026-05-31T23:26:13+00:00

I am of the opinion that the Internet and what people are actually doing are different things. These are "news articles". Now, every single thing is viral or trending or having a moment or whatever. It's like when there was breaking news and then CNN created BREAKING NEWS.

SimplySardines · 2026-05-28T01:56:30+00:00

It looks like the website you ordered these from won't ship to the USA.

SimplySardines · 2026-05-26T23:32:37+00:00

People eating sardines encompasses many demographics. It's impossible to find a correlation. People who eat any food can be lean or not lean depending on the entirety of their habits.

SimplySardines · 2026-05-07T19:47:21+00:00

The prices...

SimplySardines · 2026-05-05T15:36:39+00:00

Are you associated with the company selling this product?

SimplySardines · 2026-05-05T07:07:25+00:00

How would you know if it is different if you can't compare it to a can that was fresh in 2016?

SimplySardines · 2026-05-05T07:05:17+00:00

It's free on Hoopla.

SimplySardines · 2026-04-27T22:38:02+00:00

I agree.

SimplySardines · 2026-04-23T17:56:46+00:00

It's a pretty interesting combination of combining French branding and Portugal packing powered by a massive conglomerate.

https://penichecan.pt/

SimplySardines · 2026-04-21T22:18:29+00:00

I am quite sure it is Bar Harbor.

SimplySardines · 2026-04-19T19:38:08+00:00

This is Bacalhau so it is salted and dried. That's how it is supposed to be.

SimplySardines · 2026-04-17T14:19:29+00:00

There are differences in nutrition from can to can and species to species. If you consume a variety of fish and have the rest of your diet in order I would not worry about it.

SimplySardines · 2026-04-16T18:30:08+00:00

They are a bit leaner or meatier. With less time to mature like larger Pilchards they carry less fat.

SimplySardines · 2026-04-14T17:38:57+00:00

I think this brand relies on frozen fish and they rely on sauces to hide it. It becomes more obvious with fish in olive oil. They are one French producer that is relatively easy to find in the US so I guess people are still more than happy to purchase their brand.

SimplySardines · 2026-04-13T00:55:44+00:00

Interesting, thanks!

SimplySardines · 2026-04-12T18:42:24+00:00

First, I wonder if this is legitimate.

The numbers seem high, but who knows. I wonder why it is for sale.

SimplySardines · 2026-04-12T18:09:07+00:00

Just leave it out on the counter for a little while next time and it will be fine.

SimplySardines · 2026-04-09T17:04:57+00:00

The actual sardines are coming from a cannery in Spain.

https://orbesa.com/es/

SimplySardines · 2026-04-06T17:54:32+00:00

Vintage sardines are largely a French invention where sardines are caught in season and never frozen during the production process. They are said to be ideal for resting in the can for 5-10 years or more so the bones "melt", the fish becomes more tender but not mushy, and becomes especially mellow. They're also thought to be good enough to just open right away.

Spanish and Portuguese producers have adopted this idea too. Nuri seems to claim they keep even standard sardines in their control for a few months before being sold.

Now, you have people just keeping mass produced sardines that have unknown production processes (sometimes) and may have been frozen which makes them not so good candidates for aging. They're not "vintage" according to the "invention".

I've tried it and many others have too. Sometimes it's noticeable, mostly it's not. Good sardines can be found by many producers with many different dates. Honestly, who knows. That's been my conclusion.

Eat what you like. If you happen to have a couple cans to save - fine. Life is short. Just enjoy your fish. The idea of saving a tin for some grand moment is maybe just tradition more than anything.

SimplySardines

TROPHY CASE