Santo Amaro - Authentic European Sardines in Olive Oil & Red Piri Piri Pepper, Hand-Packed Canned Sardines in Spicy Olive Oil, Wild Caught Portuguese Sardines, Lightly Smoked, 20g Protein, Pack of 3

I ordered these the same time I ordered some King Oscar Royal Selection sardines with "peppers, garlic, rosemary and hot chili"; the King Oscars were also a premium price, but the reviews led me to believe they would be worth it.Oscar arrived first. They were something of a disappointment: the fish were so cooked they were mushy, and the taste of peppers was *barely* noticeable; I didn't even realize they had garlic until I looked at the package again and saw it listed. Not did I notice rosemary, and it was more like "Not chili". Even the sardine flavor was meh. I haven't opened the other can (it was a two-pack); maybe I just got a bad can, and others are more like what got rave reviews. To me it was as "spicy" as a typical Midwestern hot dish, which is to say, not at all. I guess that kind of makes sense, since King Oscar is a Norwegian brand and much US Midwestern cuisine and tastes were formed by Nordic and Germanic immigrants who settled there (they weren't afraid of bitter winters, I guess).So later, this 3-pack of Santo Amaro comes. I opened a can right away to check it out. As another reviewer said, there is a lot of olive oil in the can and it's hard to remove the pulltop without getting some all over (I managed to keep it just on my hands, but my fingers were *dripping*). But good news: the oil tastes really good. It's quality olive oil with just a hint of fish and pepper, suitable for saving and using in a salad dressing or a quick saute.Then I dig into the fish itself. As I say in the title, these sardines have integrity: I mean, there are actually recognizable tubes of fish body (minus heads and tails) that haven't been processed into mush. Also, they're kosher, sustainably harvested, non-gmo, etc etc.And they taste great! Not a strong fishy odor (I mean, for sardines, which ordinarily do radiate a bit), just good little fishes with a nice savory tang. Still not flamethrower hot, but that's fine; the pepper shouldn't overwhelm the flavor of the fish, but I did want it to be noticeable, and in Santo Amaro's product, it is. That's the Portuguese origin shining through.I also experienced a few fishy burps after on, as another reviewer complained of. But they weren't bad or long-enduring, and the delight of eating these sardines was well worth a couple of brief "reminders". I suspect it might have been on account of how much of the olive oil I consumed, not strictly due to the fish; high-fat foods can trigger acid reflux, which may be what have both me and the other guy "fishy burps". The solution might be to wipe off as much of the oil as possible before eating, and certainly not to add mayonnaise as he did. There's no need to, these fish are plenty oily and not dry like water-packed fish can be sometimes after you drain off the water.I will say that my burps did not include any burning capsicum, though the fruity flavor of the pepper was present. That is more of a problem when very hot chilis are mixed with high-fat foods (one issue I have with very spicy Mexican food is the combination of lard and peppers, which leads to "flame burps" -- far worse, in my opinion, than the fishy kind).Highly recommend. I changed my subscription to monthly from every 2 months after tasting them.

So as someone who tries to eat low carb, I know how good sardines are for our bodies, mind, mood, blood sugar etc. I'm a foodie, I like all fish and seafood, but ever the sardine hunt continued because I just didn't like anything I tasted. Luckily my cat loves sardines and they don't go to waste! I only try sardines in olive oil. The other problem is I do not like most olive oils. I read the reviews on these and decided to take a chance. Both myself and my cat love them! The oil is mild and delicious and really let's the flavor of the fish through. These are big fillets, maybe 4ish to a can. Lots of oil. Has all the good stuff - bones, skin, meat and other unidentifiable things :) that make them so nutrient dense and healthy but does not hit you over the head with a strong, fishy smell or taste. There's just enough. It's a perfectly balanced, blended taste of a delicate oil and fish. These for me are it. My search has ended! My next experiment will be to air fry them!

The fish are the big ones if that matters. No scales really. The spice is wonderful, the fish tastes great and the olive oil is good. I will buy these again for sure. The package smells like perfume was spilled all over it, I am not sure what that is all about or if that is normal.

Researching sardines and experimenting with many many varieties and types.Anyway, the pinhais company uses a cook then can method, and the difference is there are no juices with the oil surrounding the packed fish. It's a better preserved and mildly better tasting fish, especially after some time spent in the can (say you let them sit a year or so before eating).When cooked in the can, the fish releases juices that mix with the oil. This juice more or less slightly deteriorates the fish over time and reduces the flavor in comparison to those sardines not cooked in the can.Open a can of Nuri with Santo Amaro, and the differences, while subtle are noted.Pinhais also makes Pinhais brand as well as Nuri. Both these are cooked then canned. In order to meet fishery rules, fishing is limited to certain times of the year, and canners must take in extra fish and freeze them to keep active all year long (rather than work 3 months a year at 4x the current production capacity).Writing this to let readers know Pinhais brand are fresh sardines cooked then canned then sterilized in can. Nuri are frozen fish that are cooked then canned then sterilized. Santo Amaro are canned then cooked which also sterilizes.Both Nuri and Pinhais look the same, but there are mild textural differences between them. Nuri seems like the best deal. Pinhais seem very expensive for the additional benefit which is hard to distinguish, but I used several cans of each and opened at same time to get a good comparison.Pinhais can be at times almost twice as costly as Nuri, and Nuri at times can be almost twice as costly as Santo Amaro.I buy all three, but will go primarily with Nuri, and some Santo Amaro due to their lower pricing they can offer due to cooking in the can. Cooking outside the can requires ovens and racks and people to prep and cook then pack into can. So Santo Amaro offers a cheaper production process and less costly can of sardines.Santo Amaro are pretty good in comparison to most other sardines I buy, but I mentioned two brands above that are mildly better but more costly.

This is really good spicy sardines. Recommended.

VERY VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE ONES WE BUY HERE IN THE USA !!!!! THIS ONES HAVE SO MUCH FLAVOR !!!!!

A very nice variety pack of Portugal sardines. The two cans with peri-peri really bring out the flavor in these fish. The attractive packaging is world-class design, and I can see that this set of sardines won't last long in our house! A tad on the expensive side, but there is truly nothing better for lunch in the woods or for a picnic.