A Central Market sale and Curiosa’s cute packaging led me to grab a tin of Sardinillas. Central Market always pulls me in with its unique finds, and Galicia is my go-to for quality sardines, so I overlooked the heavy “lemon ascents” branding. Normally, I avoid anything lemon-flavored (save for meringue bars or lemonade), but I figured it couldn’t overpower Galician sardines.
I was wrong. The Curiosa Sardinillas tasted like they’d been stored with lemonheads, burying the tender, rich fish in a sugary citrus punch. It felt like such a waste of what could’ve been a fantastic sardine. Next time, I’ll stick to pepper.
Still, credit to Curiosa for the eye-catching design and to Central Market for keeping gourmet brands front and center. While this flavor was a miss for me, I’m curious to try more of their line—just not the lemon.
As do Mar, based in Olbia, Sardinia, is a family-run business known for its artisanal and sustainable approach to canned fish. Since 1980, they’ve adhered to the highest standards, using only “Friend of the Sea” certified tuna. It was a high quality tuna to try!
Daporta is a small cannery from Galicia. They only produce a few hundred units of sardines per year and I was lucky enough to find one at Cincinnati's Jungle Jims. And their tin of Sardinillas may have been the best tin I've had yet
I picked up Belmar Sardinhas at Central Market. They recently had an event focused on Portuguese cuisine. Portuguese cuisine certainty includes its sardines which can be delectable. Belmar was a standard-fare sardine that satisfied my lunch needs.
Have fun. Don't be mean. Feel free to criticize sardines, not people. Report bad behavior.
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