Where are all the tinned sardines processed in Portugal these days ? When in Potimao, the old canning factories are in evidence but they seem to have been long abandoned. Also, why are the sardines in tins for the "British" market bigger,i.e. 4 to a tin but tins for other European markets contain many smaller fish and look neater when the lid is removed. Just a passing thought, but it keeps recurring, please help me !

There are canneries in Olhao where I believe processing is still big business.

Easy pate. take a tin of sardines mix really well with mayo, add salt, pepper, piri piri etc to taste.

Much better and cheaper than those little packets you see for sale.

The sardine pate seems to be very popular as an addition to the bread and olives offered as covers in restaurants, it has pushed the garlic mayo off the table.

I'm not a great fan of the "larger" sardine which is found in our tins, they just look so uninviting to put on a sandwich, fine if just being chucked into a salad, rather have the smaller fish for a sandwich. Must be my tidy lobe kicking in !

Thanks for the location EMM

Are you sure that these larger sardines arent actually pilchards, and tinned in Cornwall??

confess I like loads of tomato sauce on my sardines, sometimes you open the tin and it's crammed with fish and little tomato sauce

Aldi and Lidl are half the price of John West and just as good.

Bruce Wallis wrote:Are you sure that these larger sardines arent actually pilchards, and tinned in Cornwall??

I have no need to attend Specsavers just yet Mr Wallis. John West wouldn't pack pilchards in a sardine can, not with olive oil anyway.

http://www.john-west.co.uk/product-info ... olive-oil/

Species we sell

Currently John West sells tuna (95 per cent is skipjack, the most abundant species, with the remainder yellowfin), salmon, mackerel, sardine, herrings, brisling, anchovies and shellfish. We have never been and will never be in the bluefin tuna business.


Mmm, no mention of PILCHARDS. (no comment)


The only fish species caught in European waters that can be called "Sardine" has to be of the biological species sardina pilchardus. They are neither herrings (herrengus herregus) nor sprats (spratus spratus) but a total separate sub species of the family name of all them, clupidae.
Labelling laws, being as confusing as they are, actually allow the use of the word "sardine" to refer to a fish that isn't of the species sardina pilchardus if you put the country of original in front of the name. So you will see tins of "Scottish sardines" on the shelves that contain sprats and "Pacific sardines" that contain nothing but anchovies!

"Cornish Sardines" however are purely of the species sardina pilchardus and I thought of the name in 1996 when trying to increase sales of pilchards. We worked with M&S and since the launch in 1997 of their "Cornish Sardine" fillets all supermarkets have stocked them. Landings increased from 7 tonnes a year to, 2008, 1720 tonnes.

"Cornish Sardines" as a phrase is now under the European Protected Names Scheme.

Nick Howell
Chairman of the Cornish Sardine Management Association



Well, what can I say, a little homework clears a minefield, hopefully.

Out of interest I looked at some tins in a local shop this afternoon, tins of Pichards and sardines were scourced from Thailand and Peru of all places.
It was not one of the national supermarkets and the brands were none that recognised.

We have friends who when they stay with us in carvoeiro alway take home tins from the Bom brand ( Portuguese ) as they prefer them to John West etc.

Me too EMM, my wife thinks/knows I'm crackers !!

We always bring back some Bela Sardines (available at Intermarche). The different flavours:

Lemon
Olive Oil
Cayenne Pepper

Add a bit of variety, plus of course:



All delicious !

Lemon sounds interesting.

do they do Piri Piri sardines in cans?

Yes

joeysoap wrote:do they do Piri Piri sardines in cans?

yes they do Joey

look for 'Picante' on the tin, delicious grilled on brown toast with a glass of red wine

Was in M&S the other day - they had tins of Portuguese sardines. Not tried them.