Sink or Swim: How Good are Goya Sardines in Olive Oil?

 Nutrition Facts for Goya Sardines in Olive Oil:
Serving Size: 1/4 Cup. Servings Per Container: About 2.
Calories 130, Fat Calories 80
Total Fat 9g 14% Daily Value (Sat. Fat 2g 10% Daily Value, Trans Fat 0g)
Cholesterol 20mg 7% Daily Value
Sodium 280mg 12% Daily Value
Total Carb. 0g
Protein 13g

Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 0%, Calcium 20%, Iron 10%

Ingredients: Sardines, olive oil and salt added.

I am a big fan of many of Goya's products. Their canned chipotles in tomato sauce are excellent and I also like their seasoning packets and Sazonador Total seasoning. These sardines are imported from Spain so I hope that this review of Goya Sardines in Olive Oil will be enjoyable.

After peeling back the tin's lid I smell a scent that is very similar to canned tuna, yet stronger and deeper. After I completely peel back the lid I am greeted by the sight of three fish that are large for sardines. However, I am dismayed that the tails are not still attached to the fish because they are a good source of nutrition. I also notice that the skin and scales are still present on the fish.

The fish break apart when speared with a fork. The mouth feel of the fish is a bit too crumbly for my taste, and since the fish are large the bones are a bit more noticeable than most sardines. I am not able to notice the scales during the taste testing. The taste is not bad, but certainly not spectacular either. They have a fairly good plain old sardine taste to them. My cat came up to me and begged for some so I gave him a fork full, which he ate with gusto.

Delicious fish, I must eat them! Om nom nom!

These are not bad, but there are definitely better tins of fish out there. Rugenfisch Smoked Kieler Sprats and King Oscar Finest Brisling Sardines come to mind. Goya Sardines in Olive Oil get three big sardines out of five.

A Review of Bumble Bee Premium Select Wild Fancy Whole Baby Clams

Nutrition Facts for  Bumble Bee Premium Select Wild Fancy Whole Baby Clams:
Serving Size 2 oz (56g or about 1/4 cup) Servings Per Container about 3 
Calories 45, Calories from Fat 10
Total Fat 1g 2% Daily Value (0g unsaturated fat, 0g Trans fat, 0.5g Polyunsat. Fat, 0g Monounsat. Fat)
Cholesterol 70mg 23% Daily Value
Sodium 290mg 12% Daily Value
Potassium 5mg 0% Daily Value
Total Carbohydrate 0g
Protein 9g

Vitamin A 2%, Calcium 6%, Vitamin D 0%, Vitamin C 0%, Iron 20%, Selenium 30%

Ingredients: Whole baby clams, water, salt, citric acid, sodium acid pyrophosphate, calcium, disodium EDTA

 This is my first review of a product from Bumble Bee Foods. They only get once chance to make a good impression so without further ado let's try some baby clams. The can is attractive and brightly colored, clearly labeled is the Net weight of ten ounces and a drained weight of five ounces so you get five ounces of clams and five ounces of brine for your money. The price is not posted because prices are rapidly changing at this time.

Upon opening I am greeted by a faint yet unpleasant odor, a smell that reminds me of fish that have stayed out a bit too long by the seaside. So I would describe the smell as bad seafood and brine. The clams are visually appealing because they maintained their colors well, which are tan with orange-yellow highlights and a darker tan in the body of the clam. The clams are intact as advertised and they are each about the size of a penny.

Looks can be deceiving.

Surely they should taste good, right?

 The clams have a firm yet yielding consistency with a good mouth-feel, but they are disagreeable to both my sense of taste and olfactory system. They are not too salty but they smell like they sat out too long before the canning process. The taste of these clams reminds me of seafood that is a little past its prime and was not purged properly before being prepared for sale. There was a lingering aftertaste and scent that was reminiscent of old fish that made this sampling an unpleasant experience. The aftertaste was still strong a full twenty minutes after sampling, and I'm sure that the clams tainted my breath with their less than stellar aroma.

I was hesitant to offer a few clams to my cat, but I did and even he refused to eat these clams. Two spiked phalanges down!

I apologized to him afterwards.

I cannot recommend this product because there are better canned baby clam products on the market at competitive prices. Bumble Bee Premium Select Wild Fancy Whole Baby Clams get one and a half clams out of five. These are bad and border on being wretched. You may be able to finish them, but you surely will not enjoy it. Food should taste good, especially if it is labeled as premium!