Sardines in Olive Oil

Sardines in Olive Oil, large winter fish from Conserverie Jean de Luz

Sardines in olive oil from Conserverie Jean de Luz are salted and dried for several days before being placed into jars by hand. For this artisanal work, the Basque cannery received the Epicure d'Or in 2021, the award from Le Monde de l'Epicerie Fine.

Sardines in olive oil are mature sardines from Conserverie Jean de Luz in the French Basque Country, preserved in certified organic extra virgin olive oil. Salt and oil are the only seasonings, and the resealable jar contains whole fillets with a firm bite.

Large fillets with a firm bite

These sardines have substance, and as soon as you lift them out, you notice that nothing falls apart or crumbles.

The meat is firm yet succulent, carried by salt and enveloped in mild olive oil. Because the fish is neither fried nor seared at high heat, it tastes clearly of itself rather than frying fat. The larger the sardine, the denser the meat, and that is precisely what all the work in Saint-Jean-de-Luz is aimed at. One jar from Conserverie Jean de Luz is enough for two plates if you leave the fillets whole and simply serve them with bread.

Salted and dried instead of fried

The sardines are first salted and then dried for several days before they are placed into the jars by hand.

The salt draws water from the meat and firms it up, and the drying process then concentrates the flavor. Only then is the olive oil added, which envelopes the fillets and absorbs their aroma over the months. In Brittany, sardines are usually fried, which gives them a roasted note and masks their own flavor.

Awarded the Epicure d'Or

The Epicure d'Or is presented annually by the association Le Monde de l'Epicerie Fine for artisanal gourmet products.

In 2021, the award went to these very sardines from the Basque Country, which means quite a lot in a country with a long tradition of canning. Conserverie Jean de Luz is also a member of the Collège Culinaire de France, an association of chefs and producers that verifies and designates artisanal quality. Both titles are proof that the work here is done by hand and not on an assembly line.

The oil comes from a small mill

For the sardines, Conserverie Jean de Luz chooses an extra virgin olive oil of the Empeltre variety.

This Spanish olive is considered mild and slightly almond-like, and it does not push itself to the foreground alongside a robust fish. It is pressed in a small mill south of Pamplona, less than a two-hour drive from the coast. This keeps transport routes short, and Basque fish meets Navarrese oil in the jar.

Cold on bread, warm as a pintxo

Cold from the jar on a slice of country bread, the fillets need nothing more than a little of their own oil.

When served warm, they become a pintxo, the Basque-style snack on bread, briefly tossed in a pan with tomato and onion. They also hold their own in a salad or on toasted slices of bread with pickled bell peppers. Once opened, they will keep in the refrigerator for about four weeks as long as they remain covered in oil.

If you prefer more spice, try the sardines with Piment d'Espelette, and more from the sea awaits in our tinned fish collection.

Content 270g – Drained weight 190g

Organic control body FR-BIO-010 – EU Agriculture