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.

RugenFisch Smoked Kieler Sprats

Price: $1.99 for a 3.88 ounce can - $8.21 per pound of smoked sprats as of March 19, 2012.

RugenFisch Smoked Kieler Sprats come in a handsome, mostly black can with an image of the product emblazoned on the tin. Hopefully the truth-in-advertising laws are stronger in Germany than they are here because I am still haunted by my past experience with Hormel's canned ham. There is no nutritional information on the can, but RugenFisch does offer nutritional information on their website if you can read German. (14.7 grams of protein, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 25.9 grams of fat, and 292 calories per 100 grams or about 3.5 ounces)

Pleasant smell of smoked fish and olive oil upon opening the tin. The lid rolled back to reveal ten beautiful and intact small fish tightly packed in the tin. Fish are firm and hold up well on fork. The flesh is firm and the bones are completely undetectable when eating. There is no “fishy” taste, but rather a nice smoky and subdued quality fish flavor. The fish had just the right amount of salt too.

A good tin of fish.

This was really good.

The smoke really compliments the flavor of the fish on this one because it is not overdone nor underdone. I finished this tin with the help of an avocado, some saltines and lime juice. This is perhaps the best tin of fish I have ever had, very well done. I will definitely buy these again and would serve them to guests. Rugenfisch Smoked Kieler Sprats get 5 Avocado-Lime-Sardine Saltines out of 5.

King Oscar Finest Brisling Sardines

King Oscar Finest Brisling Sardines
Mediterranean Style with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Herbs of Provence, Red Bell Pepper and Black Olives.

King Oscar was a swarthy fellow

Earthy smell with a hint of fish scent upon opening tin.

This was the best I could get them to look

Eight well-packed sardines that held up to the canning process well with the occasional slice of olive amongst the fish, which are placed upon various herbs. Fish hold up well when lifted with fork. They are not too hard and not too soft. Nice earthy and rich flavor with a pleasant fish taste. The bones are barely detectable and the olives impart a bold, tangy flavor when eaten with the fish. No metallic taste was evident.

Sardines are also low mercury. Since they are low in the food chain the toxins do not build up as much as in large predatory fish like salmon.

These fish would be good in a Mediterranean style salad with a garlic-based dressing, feta cheese and cucumber; however, they also hold up well when served alone as a snack. The olive oil seems to be of a decent quality and would work wonderfully if added to the water in a rice cooker with jasmine rice. I finished the entire tin within 10 minutes.

These fish are easily above average so I will rate them a 4.5 cans out of 5.