Sardines in Olive Oil

These Matiz sardines are good. I bought them for myself and then sent a 5 pack to my mother. Mild and easy to eat. Great nutritional and healing benefits.

I have been scrounging around the internet for some time (sardines .com, for instance) in search of the finest canned sardines, and I have tasted at least 20-30 different brands. Some of my favorites were the french ones, especially those from Brittany, where one can find all manner of little stores with great selections of sardines and other canned fish. But these, which I first tasted in Europe, have a special "steaky" quality that I love -- dense, chewy texture that is deeply satisfying. Nothing mushy about these -- they may even remind you of a tuna steak. When you open the can, you will see that they are different from what most Americans are used to, as there are usually only three sardines to a can, and are twice as thick as those offered by, say, Bumble Bee. These sardines have power and substance! Eating these is about as close as you'll come to having grilled, fresh sardines in Basque Country with garlic and parsley (I am getting really hungry). Toast up that baguette, add a squirt of lemon, a dash of salt and pepper, and you've got all the lunch you could ever want -- especially when hiking or in a hurry. These sardines will never let you down. My wife, who is generally less enthusiastic about sardines than I am, is ready to wolf these. And of course it is important to remind everyone that these noble fish have a long shelf life. Buy lots of them now and use them to barter for gasoline, ammunition, water filters , propane, and whatever else you may need during the apocalypse/zombie invasion/economic collapse. But chances are you will just keep them for yourself. UPDATE: I live near a Costco, and noticed that they carried five-packs of Seasons sardines. Naturally, I bought enough to last most people for several decades, but I whacked through mine in about a month. They were good. And, at such a low price, I began to wonder if there really wasn't much difference between the Seasons brand and the Matiz. So I ordered five Matiz and put them alongside the Costco fish. There was no contest. The Seasons are fine, and inexpensive. But life is too short to eat OK sardines. Buy the best; buy Matiz -- there are none finer.

Taste and texture is great. Added this to my list of favorite sardines.

Pretty good sardines, bones aren't very noticeable, flavor is good, and well packaged. Really no complaints but the price tag is a little on the high side for what you could get otherwise.

I was actually looking for Spanish sardines (the real one) and found this gem. A lot of brands use the term "Spanish" sardines but are actually made in another country. I consider them fakers. Matiz, so far, is the only brand that's actually from Spain so I'm delighted. At first, I wasn't sure about the taste whether I will ike it or not. But after reading some positive reviews here, I decided to give it a try. Well, I wasn't disappointed. The sardines are plump and taste wonderful (not too fishy at all). I lightly pan friend the sardines to heat them up and to give some texture on the skin. It's perfect with rice and fresh tomatoes on the side.

Sardines are the latest "superfood" but they've been around forever. The difference now is that we have the Primo catch available to us. Sardines from Spain and Portugal are the ones to buy. Not boney. Not smelly. Packed with the omegas they want us to eat. Great right out of the can, with a cracker or in a salad. It's an easy healthful snack or lunch. Or get fancy and Search for a recipe.

IMO...not any better than King Oscar from the grocer...both wild caught, packed in olive oil. These were larger sardines, which i didn't care for. Taste was fine.

Everyone knows that Portuguese sardines are the best. Everyone, that is, except the sardines themselves, when they stray into Spanish territorial waters off the coast of Galacia, just north of Portugal. That's where these were nabbed. So while technically our conquistadores are Spanish, for all practical intents and purposes you can consider them Portuguese. Certainly, that's how they taste, and at a price significantly lower than you would pay for their cousins just across the border. Furthermore, these fish are presented in a decidedly upscale fashion. As we learn from the back of the carton, "Artisan fishing methods, old master cannery know-how and the highest quality ingredients produce a sardine that is moist, tender, and uncommonly flavorful". In addition, they are "hand packed" and "100 % natural". Differentiating these from the standard product in the blue carton is the addition of lemon - a nice but unnecessary touch. You'll want to augment this with an additional squirt in any case...

Excellent..a little pricey