Vintage Sardines Parsley and Garlic

Vintage Sardines with Parsley and Garlic

The vintage sardines with parsley and garlic from La Quiberonnaise are Breton Atlantic sardines in an olive oil marinade with fresh persillade, vintage 2024. Herby, Mediterranean, with subtle garlic that leaves room for the fish.

Vintage sardines with parsley and garlic are fine Atlantic sardines from the Conserverie La Quiberonnaise, preserved in an olive oil-based marinade with parsley and garlic, 2024 vintage persillade. In French cuisine, persillade is the classic mixture of chopped parsley and garlic. Here, it gently coats the sardine, and unlike spicy versions, the fish remains the main focus.

When you open the tin, it smells green and spicy, of herbs and a hint of garlic. On the palate, the sardine remains in the foreground, tender and oily-soft, while parsley and garlic accompany it without overpowering it. Anyone who usually avoids garlic will be surprised at how understated it is here. You can tell that someone respects the fish rather than drowning it out. A marinade with a delicate touch.

Herby, Mediterranean, with subtle garlic

The persillade is finely seasoned, not loud, and lets the fish remain the star. That is exactly what makes this variety so suitable for everyday use; it goes with almost everything.

Parsley provides freshness, the garlic provides depth, and the olive oil binds both together. Over the maturation period, the herbs infuse the fish, creating a well-rounded, Mediterranean aroma. Parsley and garlic are an old couple of Mediterranean cuisine; from France to Spain, persillade is a staple. If you prefer things purist, reach for the classic tin with olive oil, or if you like it fruity, the sardines in tomato sauce.

In pasta or on bread

These sardines are made for quick Mediterranean cooking.

Flaked into pasta with lemon and a little chili, the persillade already acts as half the sauce. They are just as lovely as bruschetta on toasted bread with tomato, in a potato salad, or with steamed vegetables. And if you need dinner in a hurry, simply serve them over warm rice or noodles. Or make a small appetizer out of it: sardine on bread, a few capers, and a parsley leaf on top. A glass of dry white wine rounds it off.

The fishing boat from Quiberon since 1921

The tin shows a typical fishing boat catching sardines, drawn by cartoonist Stanislas Barthélémy. Simple, clear, no frills—a tribute to the fishermen where it all begins.

At La Quiberonnaise, fish has been caught and processed by hand in the fishing port of Quiberon since 1921. The cannery was founded by Henriette Jourdan, and today her grandsons Bernard and Thierry run the house in the third generation. The fish goes into the tin within 48 hours of being caught, where it matures in oil like a fine wine—hence the vintage on every tin. In 2015, the house received the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label for its living craftsmanship. You can find the persillade variety among many other canned fish products from La Quiberonnaise.

The herb oil infuses the fish

Keep them in a cool, dark place and flip them once every six months so the herb oil infuses the fish evenly. Served at room temperature, the parsley and garlic shine brightest. The aromatic oil from the tin is too good to throw away; it makes any pasta better. A squeeze of lemon just before serving makes the herbs pop even more. That is how a tin becomes a small Mediterranean meal in minutes.