Latas de Contrabando

Rebecca Jane has returned from traipsing through Southern Europe and she brought back a small load of Spanish Tins. My Sardine Shelf is quite full at the moment, in part from Smugglers bringing back tins from around the world. I have been hoarding precious tins and even have one or two of the newest shipment already.

So rather than stack these in with the fifty eight (58) tins I'm going to pop them all tonight. I can hardly remember where the 58 came from. Some are domestically sourced and maybe a third are smuggled in from places like Spain, France, and Turkey.

Sardinas Cuca en aceite d oliva
Albo Sardinas picantonas
El Porrón Sardinas en escabeche
Paco Lafuente Sardinas en escabeche
Paco Lafuente Sardinillas en aceite de oliva

Interesting packaging notes:
The Cuca has an interesting basic design and mentions "Sin Gluten"
Albo can be found around the States but not in Spanish. We've talked about them before once or twice.
The El Porrón is bright and eye catching with the long spouted wine flask it's named for on the box.
And the Paco Lafuentes have an interesting number system showing how many fish will be in each tin. The sardinas says 3/5 piezas and the sardinillas - 20/22 piezas.

Cuca has a strong website and blog. Check out this article. Paco Lafuente's website has beautiful tinned seafood. The others don't have a real web presence that I can find.

So Spain means another trip to the Spanish Table (such a great place) and a quick stop at the Bowl.

Serrano ham, Cabra al Pimenton goat's milk cheese, morcilla de arroz (blood sausage) a little can of little olives, white anchovies, Valencianos artisanal crackers, a sixer of Estrella Galicia and a bottle of Muga Rioja rose. I'm also making up some patatas bravas.

While those cook Let's talk about escabèche

[es-keh-BEHSH]

Escabeche is a typical Mediterranean cuisine which refers to both a dish of poached or fried fish (escabeche of chicken, rabbit or pork is common in Spain) that is marinated in an acidic mixture before serving, and to the marinade itself. The dish is common in Spanish, Salvadoran, Panamanian, Peruvian, Philippine, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican and Guatemalan cuisine, and popular in Catalonia, Portugal and Provence. Influences of the dish appear as far as Asia-Pacific with adjustments to local food staples. It is usually served cold after marinating in a refrigerator overnight or longer. The acid in the marinade is usually vinegar but can also include citrus juice. Escabeche is a popular presentation of canned or potted preserved fish, such as tuna, bonito or sardines. wiki

Not a common tin around these parts. I haven't had one that I remember.

All Right
Let's get to it.

So, the same order, top to bottom, as in the pic and descriptions above.

We started with the babies. The Paco Lafuente Sardinillas. At the bottom of the platter. These have a really good texture, not mushy. The oil is a bit thin and not the extra virgin We've come to expect, but a fine everyday tin if you like the little guys. Three and a half tins.

We followed this with the Cuca (top of the stack), staying with the olive oil before we ventured into flavors unknown. Three giants. Skin, bones, and slimy internal organs?

These didn't get any better from there. They were mushy and had a bad funk that demanded immediate removal from the table. The lack of evisceration might have fouled this tin. The Spanish Crackers cleansed the palate and the blood sausage made it happy again. Zero Out Of Five Tins





We then jumped on the Albo and were brought back to what makes us happy. Mild, mild heat, great texture, clean tasting oil, two years ago I gave them a bonus tin for bits and packaging, now that I've been spoiled to the glory that is (gasp) the Royal Tins of France, I don't warrant a bonus tin for such veils. It's a Three out of Five Tin tin. $3.99 here in the States. Eat it everyday!

The serrano ham tastes like it's plastic packaging.

We finally get to the escabèche.

These are interesting and different and delightful.
The fish are smoked, and then tinned with the vinegary herbal oil. The oil seems a bit thinner than usual and that's a good thing. Both tins had good texture and Screamed for rye bread, a bit of yogurt and a pinch of dill.

I'm glad We had two tins to taste and compare. The first (El Porrón - middle) , being our first escabèche lifetin, was intriguing. It gave Us a new way to think about sardines. A new flavor. How have I not found these before now?

And then We tried the Paco Lafuente.

And it was even better. Zesty, delicious.

El Porrón set the standard. Three out of Five Tins.

Paco Lafuente passed it. Four out of Five Tins.

These were not the Euro Crème de la Crème. But a fine dinner and discussion they did make.

Thanks to Rebecca Jane for risking detention and interrogation and Thanks to the 100+ Society Members for Appreciating.

BELA-Olhão

I just counted Twenty-Five tins in the pantry - plus other assorted tinned fish. Only two of those 25 have I had before. I keep those two on hand for guests. The other 23 are waiting for a call up.

The Wife wanted sardines tonight. She was all Dandy Warhols and I was like Brian Jonestown Massacre. I wanted to wait till another Voice spoke to you of fine tinned fish, but, knowing the Fathers of the Society, that could be a long wait.

I picked up these three specimens locally. Actually, at the Cowgirl Creamery up in Point Reyes Station.

They make the cheeses there and have a boutique of fresh vegetables, sandwich deli and other pricey food products. $4/tin. I know, but I once paid $12 for a tin, and bought two of them (tell you later). I saw them for $2.59 suggested price online.

BELA-Olhão, pronounced "Bella, Ol- yow", according to the importer, Blue Galleon. (mybela.com is temporarily unavailable). Some quotes from their website:

Blue Galleon navigates the business currents with a focus on quality, excellence, standards, and intention.

Blue Galleon products are better for the environment and fish stocks. We fish species that are plentiful in magnitude and incorporate catch methods that ensure sustainability.

We work with local communities and use “Fair-Trade-Like” principles to guide our interactions with primary fishers.

These sardines offer the advantage of being a classic sardine (species: Sardina Pilchardue Walbaum) located in the waters of Portugal. BELA-Olhão Portuguese sardines are caught by local fishers and packed fresh within hours resulting in a product that is healthier, looks better, has less smell, and taste far better than other brands and varieties.

And

BELA-Olhão products are kosher certified by the Orthodox Union (OU).

These are all over the net, I even found a rumor that Blue Galleon, a Massachusetts company, is no longer operating in the U.S. so maybe buy em if you see em, well, let me pop these and see.

Plated up with the Wife's Green Onion Blinis, TJ's herb salad, olives, cornichons, a horseradish creme sauce, and Perro Negro Holiday Sauce. Matched to the always yummy Paco & Lola Albariño.

Cayenne on the left, Lemon in the middle, and Tomato on the right. They all contain 3 Big Fish, skin and bones.

We started with the Lemon. and the key word here is Light. Light oil texture, Light lemon flavor, Light flesh - good tooth, not mushy, nice lemon infused oil. Four Tins. Solid.

Next we were in to the Cayenne. more great, light oil texture, firm and flakey meat with a mild, mild heat. A notch above average. I wonder if they might heat up with aging. Three and a half tins, and I hate giving halves, but these were better than average, and yet, not quite Above Average.

And the Tomato. Sauce is a little bland and thin/oily. The smoked flavor of the fish comes through nicely and the meat is firm, but it seems Tomato is all about the sauce, a hint of oregano or spice might be required. Three out of Five tins.

All in all, the caliber of work here shows through. Quality is Job One.

The blinis are always good, the cornichons broke up the different bites nicely and the Albariño is Right On.

Happy New Year

Filets de Sardines A L'Huile D'Olive Vierge Extra

So last weekend sometime my wife and I may have had a couple of glasses of wine or some beer or whatever and were feeling rather loose. so to speak. During this period after the kids were in bed and had some fresh netflix we decided to just pop a tin from our french arsenal. The intent was purely digestive and we were not intending on even writing a review unless they were just super. We chose one of the more nondescript cans in the cupboard. I think they're called Leader Price Filets de Sardines A L'Huile D'Olive Vierge Extra. As you can gather as I am writing a review they were, indeed, super.





















I know that a can of skinless and boneless filets may be frowned upon by some society members. Well whatever. These fish were beautiful. Clean and fresh tasting in a bath of light and delicious olive oil (I am salivating right now). We served them with some pickled peppers, some aged cheddar and a nice hunk of salami (and some tequila) and were in Sardine heaven.




Three and a Half Tins.

1/2.

After we inhaled the first can we were still in the mood and decided to pop another tin. The Fish 4 Ever Sustainably-Fished Sardines with Organic Lemon and Olive Oil. They 

were good looking fish complete with skin and bones in a bath of some darker and a bit heavier olive oil. They were delicious but not quite as awesome as the previous tin. Sorry about the black and white photo. I get artsy when have a load on.

Two and a Half Tins.

1/2.

Zergut Lightly Smoked in Oil.

In celebration of having received a nice new surprise Sardine Fork in the mail I decided to bust into the cupboard and into a can of fish. Having not been entirely impressed by the other can of Zergut's I've tried this can, however, was pretty awesome. I must've been in a different state of mind at the time and the other can came after the beloved EVA Sardines in Vegetable Oil. The hardest of acts to follow.



Todays three big ol' fish in soya oil were good. They were, indeed, lightly smoked and in a good way. Texture was moist and flaky and not exceptionally tuna-y nor too fishy. Best served with Monterey Jack Cheese and EL Pato Salsa Picante de Chile Jalapeno on Zesta's.




Three and one half tins.

1/2.

My wife and I enjoyed the sardines with a couple of Widmer Brothers' Brewmasters' Release 2009, Belgian Style Ale. I really liked the beer. My wife did not. She found it too malty. I, on the other hand, like malty beers with not too much hop to 'em.


Some very successful snacking.