‘The flavour, the texture, everything is perfect’: José Pizarro tests supermarket tinned sardines

I like to think of myself as a bit of a connoisseur of tinned seafood, and of tinned sardines, in particular. Well, of course I do: I’m Spanish, after all, and I’ve been eating this stuff since I was two (which, let me tell you, is a very long time ago indeed!). So I jumped at the chance to do a blind tasting of British supermarket tinned sardines – although, with the odd exception, I now think I perhaps jumped just a little too soon.

For me, the first thing you notice when you open a tin of sardines is the look of the fish, and then its smell and texture. They should be headless but otherwise whole, not boned fillets or skinned, and the flesh should feel firm to the touch; the bones, likewise, should still have some structure and substance to them (if you can barely feel them, the fish is likely overcooked). What I found especially illuminating about this blind tasting, however, was that three of the 10 products were pretty much identical, in pretty much every way, from the texture and taste of the fish to the quality of the oil, which is why I found it more or less impossible to tell them apart, or to find any points of difference between them.

As for the oil that’s used to preserve the sardines, I’m afraid it simply has to be olive oil – yes, I would say that (again, I am Spanish, after all), but sorry, that’s just a plain statement of fact and I will not be taking questions.

The best tinned sardines

Best all-rounder/bargain:
John West sardines in olive oil

_{£1.10 for 120g at Asda (92p/100g)
£1.10 for 120g at Morrisons (92p/100g)}
★★★★☆

Pretty great, especially considering the price. The flavour is very good, as is the consistency and texture of the fish, while the quality of the oil is up there, too. After the blind tasting, when I found out where these were from, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t very surprised indeed.

Best splurge:
Ortiz sardines a la Antigua in olive oil

_{£5.75 for 140g at Sous Chef (£4.11/100g)
£6.75 for 140g at Waitrose (£4.82/100g)}
★★★★★

Simply the best: the flavour, the texture, everything is perfect; it’s the reason why these cost top dollar, as they well should.

And the rest …
Sea Castle sardines in pure olive oil

_{£2.70 for 125g at Sainsbury’s (£2.16/100g)
£2.70 for 125g at Ocado (£2.16/100g)}
★★★☆☆

These have been skinned, and are consequently dry. The flavour isn’t all that nice, either. In fact, it turns out they’re similar to the Fish 4 Ever offering below, with a pretty much identical taste and texture. I just didn’t get a sense that these fish had been treated with love or care, and they’re bloody expensive, too, considering.

Fish 4 Ever filleted sardines in organic sunflower oil

_{£2.95 for 90g at Ethical Superstore (£3.28/100g)
£29.50 for 10 x 90g at Amazon (£3.27/100g)}
★★★☆☆

As mentioned above, these are similar to the Sea Castle sardines, so pretty much the same comments apply here as well. Other than maybe to add that these are even more expensive.

Brunswick sardines in soya oil

_{£1.20 for 106g at Ocado (£1.13/100g)
£17.59 for 12 x 106g at Amazon (£1.38/100g)}
★★☆☆☆

A little spicy, which is something I’d normally be happy about, but there is no real balance going on in this tin, with the fish, the oil and everything all fighting against each other. The flesh is on the soft side, too.

Waitrose Essential sardines in olive oil

_{£1 for 120g at Waitrose (83p/100g)}
★★☆☆☆

Pretty basic stuff, a bit mushy and not the cheapest, either. Value for money is a big no with this tin.

Aldi The Fishmonger sardines in sunflower oil

_{52p for 90g at Aldi (58p/100g)}
★★☆☆☆

Very soft flesh, and very similar to the Asda and Tesco own-brands below. There is no real discernible difference in quality.

Asda sardines in sunflower oil

_{49p for 120g at Asda (41p/100g)}
★★☆☆☆

Very soft, plus the marked similarities with several other own-brand tinned sardines mean I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find they were all sourced from the same supplier. Yes, these are cheap, but then, so they should be.

Tesco sardines in sunflower oil

_{50p for 120g at Tesco (42p/100g)}
★★☆☆☆

No real fish flavour to speak of, and far too soft. See also Aldi and Asda above.

M&S sardines in olive oil

_{£1 for 120g at Ocado (83p/100g)}
★★☆☆☆

Yes, at least these are packed in olive oil, which is an improvement on sunflower, but in terms of overall general quality, I really don’t have anything more to say about these that I haven’t already said about the Aldi, Asda and Tesco sardines above.