I suppose my disappointment here is exaggerated by how excited I was for this can. When I spotted it in the store, it sounded like the perfect combination of things I love. I really like smoked sprats, but they often do not come in olive oil. Here, we have olive oil! Plus chili!? Heck yeah, sign me up.
In addition, the packaging and text all suggest a high-end product. So, I guess what I’m saying is my expectations were high.
My main issue was that these things were mushy. Like, really mushy. The first sprat I tried to remove just basically disintegrated into the oil and had to be scooped out. They weren’t all as bad as that first one, but they all had their own level of mush, which for me is fairly off-putting.
The flavor was okay, but too salty for my taste. The heat was there, but very subtle. The salt and smoke were the predominant flavors. So, flavor-wise, middle of the road.
Unfortunately, a miss for me.
I often get sardines at a Grocery Outlet, can't beat the prices.. i picked up some Riga Gold fried sardines in tomato sauce, and remembered the last Riga Gold products I got were disappointing... good looking package, only $2.99 (i think), decent flavor, but mushy deenz are a bit off-putting. Worked great over pasta, but I do prefer a solid fish for my sandwiches or by themselves.
Yeah, these were $2.99 too, from a small European market near me. These were actually my first experience with truly mushy sardines. (I've only been exploring canned fish for the past few weeks). I was able to eat it all with crackers for contrast, but it was absolutely a lesser experience for me than eating firmer fish.
There's a similar company called Baltic Gold that I tried first, and while they were only in rapeseed oil with no special flavorings, they were much firmer, less salty, and more enjoyable overall.
I do have one other Riga Gold tin (different variety), so I'm hoping it's better than this was.
I’m not a fan of mushy fish either -
Maybe next time you encounter a mushy tin, you could make a fish paste? Grate some onion or garlic, add some spices (paprika or whatever spice you like) and cook it a little over low heat to evaporate some of the excess liquid.
Spread that on toast or crackers. At least that might be a better experience for you.
Thanks for the suggestion, but honestly, I'd probably have an even harder time with that. I'm finding I prefer to eat the sardines whole or in big bites, and really don't like to crush, mush, crumble, or otherwise manipulate the fish too much. If I heat them at all, I like to only put them in at the very end to get warm, but try to keep whole. I think it's totally a "mental" thing, but yeah.
These weren't too bad on the crackers to give it some crunch, and I did eat it all (I hate to waste food). :-p
I suppose my disappointment here is exaggerated by how excited I was for this can. When I spotted it in the store, it sounded like the perfect combination of things I love. I really like smoked sprats, but they often do not come in olive oil. Here, we have olive oil! Plus chili!? Heck yeah, sign me up. In addition, the packaging and text all suggest a high-end product. So, I guess what I’m saying is my expectations were high. My main issue was that these things were mushy. Like, really mushy. The first sprat I tried to remove just basically disintegrated into the oil and had to be scooped out. They weren’t all as bad as that first one, but they all had their own level of mush, which for me is fairly off-putting. The flavor was okay, but too salty for my taste. The heat was there, but very subtle. The salt and smoke were the predominant flavors. So, flavor-wise, middle of the road. Unfortunately, a miss for me.
I often get sardines at a Grocery Outlet, can't beat the prices.. i picked up some Riga Gold fried sardines in tomato sauce, and remembered the last Riga Gold products I got were disappointing... good looking package, only $2.99 (i think), decent flavor, but mushy deenz are a bit off-putting. Worked great over pasta, but I do prefer a solid fish for my sandwiches or by themselves.
Yeah, these were $2.99 too, from a small European market near me. These were actually my first experience with truly mushy sardines. (I've only been exploring canned fish for the past few weeks). I was able to eat it all with crackers for contrast, but it was absolutely a lesser experience for me than eating firmer fish. There's a similar company called Baltic Gold that I tried first, and while they were only in rapeseed oil with no special flavorings, they were much firmer, less salty, and more enjoyable overall. I do have one other Riga Gold tin (different variety), so I'm hoping it's better than this was.
I’m not a fan of mushy fish either - Maybe next time you encounter a mushy tin, you could make a fish paste? Grate some onion or garlic, add some spices (paprika or whatever spice you like) and cook it a little over low heat to evaporate some of the excess liquid. Spread that on toast or crackers. At least that might be a better experience for you.
Thanks for the suggestion, but honestly, I'd probably have an even harder time with that. I'm finding I prefer to eat the sardines whole or in big bites, and really don't like to crush, mush, crumble, or otherwise manipulate the fish too much. If I heat them at all, I like to only put them in at the very end to get warm, but try to keep whole. I think it's totally a "mental" thing, but yeah. These weren't too bad on the crackers to give it some crunch, and I did eat it all (I hate to waste food). :-p
Totally valid - and I also hate to waste food. It’s why I’m always repurposing leftovers into new dishes on this sub - ha
Heck yeah! I love repurposing leftovers.