Canned Sardines? page 2

[Shrinking_Violet]

I bought them in olive oil and pour the whole can over a couple of cups of spinach. I think Mark said that these smaller fish (sardines, archovies and such) have low contamination levels. I still look for the ones that say they are wild caught.

Snap! Love 'em! What makes me laugh is that Sainsbury's sells them for 55p if you have them bones and all, but you can add 25p to that if you want the bones out - I just think who the hell wants to eat boneless sardines...?!

Well, if you want to be pedantic (and I do!) they don't have bones, it's cartilage.

I didn't know sardines could be farmed. Most of the ones sold here (in fact I'd go so far as to say ALL the sardines sold over here) are Portuguese.

[carlh]

I tried making Alton Brown's "famous" sardine and avocado sandwich the other day. I like guacamole, I like sardines in real Caesar salad dressing. I do not like them together. It was gross. He gets into it around 2:45 here

[Lars86]

Thanks for the replies guys, keep em coming... I went ahead and emailed King Oscar which is one of my favorite brands. I'll post up when they reply about their tins...

[yodiewan]

I believe that Brunswick, King Oscar, BeachCliff and Bumble Bee are all owned by the same company, so hopefully they are all BPA free. I've tried King Oscar before but it's so much more expensive than Brunswick that I can't justify spending the extra cash. Especially with the number of cans I go through in a week, haha.

[Daemonized]

I get the ones just in plain water and avoid any of the sauces that they put them in. Even when they say olive oil in a lot of stuff if you read label it's some olive oil mixed in with some kind of corn, soy, or other vegetable oil. I'd rather go with 10W40.

[Rivvin]

I get the ones just in plain water and avoid any of the sauces that they put them in. Even when they say olive oil in a lot of stuff if you read label it's some olive oil mixed in with some kind of corn, soy, or other vegetable oil. I'd rather go with 10W40.

I will buy you a can of sardines in olive oil and a can of 10w40 if you really feel that way and are willing to record the outcome.

[iammysticyte]

I get the ones just in plain water and avoid any of the sauces that they put them in. Even when they say olive oil in a lot of stuff if you read label it's some olive oil mixed in with some kind of corn, soy, or other vegetable oil. I'd rather go with 10W40.

i actually do that same when i can. i would rather add my own oil after.

[Suki]

I eat sardines everyday for lunch. The best, hands down, is the Matiz Gallego brand from Spain. You can find them at Whole Foods.

Here you go: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/301739

For all of you who don't like sardines - try them with some salad greens, half a julienned apple and a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegart and olive oil. The ACV cuts the fishiness of the sardines.

[Lewis]

i actually do that same when i can. i would rather add my own oil after.

Of course, traditionally they're supposed to marinade in the olive oil over time. That's what the makers intend. There's an interesting Elizabeth David piece where she talks with a French canner. I think it's in An Omelette and a Glass of Wine - it's reprinted in one of her books anyway.

http://www.amazon.com/Omelette-Glass...dp/1599218607/

Those people take it seriously. She said the canner told her how disappointed he was to be served his own sardines in an English cafe, because the toast was cold and the sardines were hot - quelle horreur!.

He also took some trouble to choose olive oil he was satisfied with.

Someone like that is not going to sneak in soya oil. You might get it with cheap and untrustworthy brands - as with most things you get what you pay for - but not with good canners unless things have changed very much in places like France since Miss David was writing.

Now I'll believe almost anything of the Anglo-Saxon world - and I think in some respects the U.S. is worse than Britain or Australasia - there's this ethos where what is supposed to matter is merely making money and not making something to be proud of. If you ever hear the words "unit cost" that's the sort of people you're dealing with.

[HairyCaveman]

so I emailed Bumble Bee and this is what they sent me:

Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to respond to your concerns regarding our Bumble Bee products.

Our Brunswick Sardines are canned in Aluminum with no enamel liner and therefore do not contain the BPA. More information regarding BPA is shown below:

Bisphenol-A is a major building block of epoxy resins. Although original quantities are used in the reaction process, traces of unreacted Bisphenol-A can be found in canned foods packed in containers lined with epoxy coating systems to levels in the parts per billion. We have been in contact with our can manufacturers and they indicate that in agreement with The Food and Drug Administration, the levels of Bisphenol-A present in canned food poses no threat to human health. If you wish to inquire further into Bisphenol-A, the following website provides comprehensive information and links to the US Food and Drug Administration website as well as information regarding products for food-contact applications made from Bisphenol-A meeting health and safety regulatory guidelines throughout the world.

http://www.bisphenol-a.org

Thank you again for your interest in our products.

Thank you,
Bumble Bee Consumer Affairs