Canned sardines & other tinned seafood

[btbyrd]

There are lots of great vendors. Rainbow Tomatoes Garden has been mentioned already, and they have the biggest selection in the US (if not the world). Dan, who runs it, is a super nice guy and is very active on reddit's r/sardines subforum. I also buy from Caputo's Market, TinCanFish.com, Portugalia Marketplace, Yummy Bazaar, La Tienda, and Zingerman's Mail Order. Zingerman's is currently in the middle of their summer sale, which is when a lot of their fish goes on sale. They don't have a large selection, but what they do have is very good.

Edited July 14, 2022 by btbyrd (log)

[Annie_H]

16 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

I've been falling thoroughly down the tinned fish rabbit hole for the past couple years.

We have as well. A good stash in the pantry. 

I've watched a few of those video documentaries. 

2 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

It’s  not obvious from their name, but another tinned fish source with one of the widest selections I’ve seen is Rainbow Tomatoes Garden.

Insane list. And just found an old favorite scrolling through. First found in a tiny Queens storefront. A buck a tin--probably a lost leader for local customers. So good but a cheaper oil. A big stack by the check-out--one per customer. I noticed everyone ahead of me added one to their groceries. So I did as well. (could always be pup snacks if not good). I rinsed in vinegar and added herbs and whatever. We ate then at the kitchen counter on toast with mustard. 

[Annie_H]

34 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

That recent NYT piece was okay, but they're rehashing the content of this Business Insider video from a couple years ago (that has 12 million views):

I agree. Good video. The detail. Even the veg and spice snipping with scissors is precise. 

 

[Annie_H]

5 hours ago, Kerala said:

What happens to the smaller, thinner fish in the catch? Animal feed? Cheaper brands/sold to John West? School dinners? Not being facetious.

I'm sure there is a buyer for all of it. Whatever the grading system is, prime would go to the top quality producers. Nuri brand uses the best quality ingredients even a secret recipe for their red sauce. They clean, then racks go into a steamer before packing. Best quality olive oil. A few documentaries on-line. I don't think a smaller sardine would be inferior, especially using good ingredients, but a consistent size would be preferred because of packing/cooking times.

Pet food, zoos, dried and ground for fish tanks, garden fertilizers, fish oil.  

Like many product producers, a cheaper list of ingredients and cheap oils, mass produced quickly, still has food value for those needing an affordable and much cheaper protein source. 

The Capelin run is three weeks every year for commercial fisherman in Newfoundland . Probably just about over I think--mid July. Japanese buyers meet boats at the dock and visit the processing plants. They pay top dollar and only want the prime females. With the roe. They even test for the diet. A way to check that by snapping off the head and sliding the guts out. Leaves the roe behind intact. They do not want a 'red' feed--whatever that is. A good net pull may not be heavy in quantity or weight, but it seems to be easy for the captain to see 90% female and the proper diet--a money pull. Testing each boats container at the plant grades the catch. 

Capelin spawn on/near the beach so I've never had a full female with the roe. 30 second video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qusHwTzf3Wo

In Japan it is called shishamo. Head on roe filled females. 

The males are salted or smoked or brined and frozen. Used to see tinned but not sure now. 

 

 

 

 

[weinoo]

56 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

Ramon Pena gold line

 

The Ramon Pena is very nice, and another high-end product is the Güeyu Mar - but it's pricey.

[btbyrd]

I had a tin of their grilled sardine loins not long ago. An incredible tin. If I was Bezos rich, I’d stock my yachts and mansions with case after case of their tasty grilled seafood.

 

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, btbyrd said:

If I was Bezos rich, I’d stock my yachts and mansions with case after case of their tasty grilled seafood.

 

But you'd have a hard time getting your newest yacht out of the shipyard!

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/07/world/europe/bezos-yacht-rotterdam-bridge.html

Quote

 

Rotterdam Won’t Dismantle Bridge to Allow Jeff Bezos’ Superyacht Through

 

The Dutch city faced an uproar as it considered dismantling a section of a 95-year-old bridge. Now the boat’s builder has decided not to apply for a permit.

 

The Koningshaven Bridge, also called “De Hef,” in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, lacked the clearance for Jeff Bezos’ boat.

 

By Claire Moses

 

July 7, 2022

Jeff Bezos will not be able to sail a new, more than 400-foot-long superyacht through the waters of the Dutch city of Rotterdam anytime soon.

The port city faced an uproar months ago as it considered dismantling a section of a 95-year-old bridge to allow the Amazon founder’s yacht to pass. But now the boat’s builder, the Dutch company Oceanco, has decided to refrain from applying for a permit, according to a Rotterdam City Council member.

It was unclear how Mr. Bezos’ yacht would leave the area or whether Oceanco would finish the boat. The company did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday and Thursday. An Amazon spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment.

The yacht was supposed to sail through the Koningshaven Bridge, known locally as “De Hef,” over the summer and was on track to become the largest sailing yacht in the world at 417 feet, according to the superyacht industry publication Boat International. The bridge does not have enough clearance for the yacht, which was being built in a nearby town.

 

 

[btbyrd]

More time to sit around and eat sardines.

[chromedome]

2 hours ago, Annie_H said:

I'm sure there is a buyer for all of it. Whatever the grading system is, prime would go to the top quality producers. Nuri brand uses the best quality ingredients even a secret recipe for their red sauce. They clean, then racks go into a steamer before packing. Best quality olive oil. A few documentaries on-line. I don't think a smaller sardine would be inferior, especially using good ingredients, but a consistent size would be preferred because of packing/cooking times.

Pet food, zoos, dried and ground for fish tanks, garden fertilizers, fish oil.  

Like many product producers, a cheaper list of ingredients and cheap oils, mass produced quickly, still has food value for those needing an affordable and much cheaper protein source. 

The Capelin run is three weeks every year for commercial fisherman in Newfoundland . Probably just about over I think--mid July. Japanese buyers meet boats at the dock and visit the processing plants. They pay top dollar and only want the prime females. With the roe. They even test for the diet. A way to check that by snapping off the head and sliding the guts out. Leaves the roe behind intact. They do not want a 'red' feed--whatever that is. A good net pull may not be heavy in quantity or weight, but it seems to be easy for the captain to see 90% female and the proper diet--a money pull. Testing each boats container at the plant grades the catch. 

Capelin spawn on/near the beach so I've never had a full female with the roe. 30 second video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qusHwTzf3Wo

In Japan it is called shishamo. Head on roe filled females. 

The males are salted or smoked or brined and frozen. Used to see tinned but not sure now. 

 

 

 

 

I have personal experience with the Newfoundland capelin fishery, as I took the autumn of 1980 off from college and worked on a small boat with my father and my uncle.

 

At that time we got 26 cents a pound for female capelin, and 1 cent a pound for males (for perspective, the landed price for salmon at that time was 26 cents as well, mackerel were 14 cents, and herring were 12). When the season opened we took a seine of 6000 pounds or so to the fish plant. They pulled up three tubs of capelin, separated the males from the females, weighed them both, calculated the percentage of females, made a deduction for the processing costs, and gave us... 8 cents/pound.

 

After that we separated our own, dipping a full seine of 6000-8000 pounds and then spending the rest of the day shuffling the females into tubs and the males back over the side. My fingerprints wore off completely, and I literally saw capelin when I closed my eyes. There's a reason (several of them, actually) why I didn't become a full-time fisherman as most of my family had been.

 

For the benefit of anyone who's wondering how you sex small silver fish accurately (capelin typically range from 4 to 7 inches, though there's variability), well... the females are the pretty ones.

 

That's not a joke. The females are smaller and have smooth skin with iridescent rainbow tones, while the males have a rougher skin, a small ridge running down their sides, and no iridescence.

[weinoo]

3 hours ago, Annie_H said:

First found in a tiny Queens storefront.

 

All of the old school (or whatever is left of them) Russian, Czech, Hungarian etc. delis and markets have these types of sprats and various assorted sardines at much cheaper prices than the good stuff from Portugal, Spain et al.  And you know what - they're not as good.

[farcego]

7 hours ago, Annie_H said:

I'm sure there is a buyer for all of it. Whatever the grading system is, prime would go to the top quality producers. Nuri brand uses the best quality ingredients even a secret recipe for their red sauce. They clean, then racks go into a steamer before packing. Best quality olive oil. A few documentaries on-line. I don't think a smaller sardine would be inferior, especially using good ingredients, but a consistent size would be preferred because of packing/cooking times.

Pet food, zoos, dried and ground for fish tanks, garden fertilizers, fish oil.  

Like many product producers, a cheaper list of ingredients and cheap oils, mass produced quickly, still has food value for those needing an affordable and much cheaper protein source. 

The Capelin run is three weeks every year for commercial fisherman in Newfoundland . Probably just about over I think--mid July. Japanese buyers meet boats at the dock and visit the processing plants. They pay top dollar and only want the prime females. With the roe. They even test for the diet. A way to check that by snapping off the head and sliding the guts out. Leaves the roe behind intact. They do not want a 'red' feed--whatever that is. A good net pull may not be heavy in quantity or weight, but it seems to be easy for the captain to see 90% female and the proper diet--a money pull. Testing each boats container at the plant grades the catch. 

Capelin spawn on/near the beach so I've never had a full female with the roe. 30 second video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qusHwTzf3Wo

In Japan it is called shishamo. Head on roe filled females. 

The males are salted or smoked or brined and frozen. Used to see tinned but not sure now. 

 

 

 

 

 

At least in Spain, and with the exception of very few brands that own their own fishing vessels, the fish is auctioned for professional sector. That includes processing companies, but also restaurants and retailers mostly. And yes, the starting point of the price depends on three main factors, size (the larger the better), abundance (when there is a lot of catches, price drops), and season (depend for what purpose, not all months are considered equal) plus some others like fishing method, not just from a point of labeling/marketing -(artisan catch, line catch etc in the label) but the product itself suffer much more in a trawler than in a seine net (if we think of sardines, I've seen the sardines out of a bottom trawler, and they cannot be sold in a fish market, they just too bruised, but can be sold for cheap tins). 

 

Also, in the US, for example, you may pay at least twice the money that you would pay in Spain (and probably applies to Portugal)

 

Regarding the "Sardinillas", named little or baby sardines in english, It is quite a personal choice. My old man loves them, but I prefer much more the tins with just 2 or as much, 3 individuals inside.

[ScoopKona]

I have found fresh sardines for sale at the Monterey Fish Market. And, yeah, there's nothing quite like a good grilled sardine. I think that's why Ferran Adria said that a good sardine is better than a mediocre lobster. It is.

As for canned? I didn't see this suggestion (I also skimmed, so apologies if I missed it).

World's quickest Caesar dressing:

A room temp egg, a food processor, canned sardines in oil (I like North African), lemon, garlic, parm, pepper, neutral oil. Spin the egg until it starts to lighten. Lemon juice. Drizzle-spin sardine oil from the partially-open can to form the emulsion. (That's enough fish flavor for most. But not for me. I toss a filet in.) Drizzle-spin canola to desired consistency. Then spin in the garlic, black pepper and parm. Add salt if necessary. Should last a few days in the refrigerator.

I'm making some today because lettuce was on sale.

[ScoopKona]

And put in a dollop of dijon with the lemon juice.

I swear, I always forget ONE thing when typing these extemporaneously.

[weinoo]

8 hours ago, ScoopKona said:

And put in a dollop of dijon with the lemon juice.

I swear, I always forget ONE thing when typing these extemporaneously.

 

Not enough coffee?

[rotuts]

there is no doubt that i'm possibly

 

related to a Philistine 

 

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

 

just one I think , way back when.

 

as circumstantial evidence of this , I offer :

 

 

N.B.:  they come from Portugal .

 

so there is that.

 

I find them tasty , and very very easy to obtain 

 

as Im already there @ TJ's  from time to time.

 

I would love to try others , but I don't plan 

 

to put too much effort and exposure into the project.

 

Id offer to show the contents 

 

but only by request . not wishing to damper

 

this thread.

 

Ive had these tins for a while

 

but they are ' good ' until 2026.

Edited July 15, 2022 by rotuts (log)

[blue_dolphin]

Pasta with Summer Squash, Sardines & Preserved Lemon from Back Pocket Pasta. Nice to find a sardine pasta with a nice amount of vegetables. 

The recipe calls for 1 T chopped preserved lemon for 4 servings.  I used more than than for 2 and it could use more, although you need to balance the salt. 

Reviewing my sardine stash, I decided on these, readily available at World Market, among other places. 

[blue_dolphin]

11 hours ago, rotuts said:

there is no doubt that i'm possibly

 

related to a Philistine 

 

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

 

just one I think , way back when.

 

as circumstantial evidence of this , I offer :

 

 

I think those were the sardines I used to make these smoked sardine & kumquat crostini earlier this year:

 

[Katie Meadow]

I've tried a variety of sardines and so far Matiz are my favorite. I admit that I have not tried as many Portuguese ones as Spanish ones, and I have avoiding the top tier really expensive ones.  Not that anyone asked, but the worst ones were Wild Planet packed in oil. I can't imagine what water-packed sardines would be like.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

21 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

I've tried a variety of sardines and so far Matiz are my favorite. I admit that I have not tried as many Portuguese ones as Spanish ones, and I have avoiding the top tier really expensive ones.  Not that anyone asked, but the worst ones were Wild Planet packed in oil. I can't imagine what water-packed sardines would be like.

 

The sardines I found in house are Glyngore, from Denmark.  Though I hesitate to sample them.  For some reason there is no "best by" date listed.  However the price sticker on the can is from a market near where I used to live.  I have not been to that market for forty something years.  On the plus side the marked price is 89 cents.  How's that for a way to overcome inflation?

 

Somewhere, not sure which room, I have older sardines, more thoroughly aged than the Glyngore mentioned above.  Though as I recall the sardines in question are packed in mustard sauce, and thus, in my opinion, not worth organizing a searching party for.

 

I once tried Wild Planet tuna packed in oil.  I thought Wild Planet as a brand was awful.  And a lot more than 89 cents a shot.

 

Do canned sardines expire or do they live on forever?

 

[Katie Meadow]

Nothing gold can stay, not even mustard. But there's only one way to find out. 

Edited July 16, 2022 by Katie Meadow (log)

[rotuts]

@JoNorvelleWalker 

 

interesting .

 

in a cabinet I rarely go into

 

I have two tins of the TJ's sardines 

 

mentioned above .

 

they don't have dates on them either.

 

a dilemma for sure

[blue_dolphin]

10 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Do canned sardines expire or do they live on forever?

 

Quote

“I remember visiting a small-scale conserverie, or cannery, in northern Brittany during those years. Just before I left, the owner, Marie Bevillon, handed me a gorgeous tin of sardines. “Don’t eat it right away!” she said. “Turn it over regularly and they’ll get even better, like a good bottle of wine.” And they did! I've been sold ever since.”

— The Tinned Fish Cookbook: Easy-to-Make Meals from Ocean to Plate—Sustainably Canned, 100% Delicious by Bart van Olphen
 

Also, The Art of Sardine Collecting

 

 

Edited July 16, 2022 by blue_dolphin
To add link (log)

[weinoo]

Fairway used to sell assorted tins of aged sardines.  They were not cheap.

[rotuts]

do you recall how old they were ?

 

google had some interesting articles :

 

https://mouth-full-of-sardines.blogspot.com/2013/11/vintage-32-year-old-tin.html

 

https://tastecooking.com/art-sardine-collecting/

Edited July 16, 2022 by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

Interesting that article  The Art of Sardine Collecting.

 

Especially:

 

Quote

For chef and author Lior Lev Sercarz, part of the appeal of collecting sardines is the wide variety of packaging. Sercarz’s collection of sardines is just a portion of a larger collection of about 1,500 vintage food tins and boxes. But part of the intrigue is also the ritual of aging the sardines—a practice that many compare to aging wine.

 

Lior, as we know, is the proprietor of La Boite.  And the author of the classic The Spice Companion: A Guide to the World of Spices: A Cookbook (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)