Sardines in oil with mixed pickles

Sardines in Olive Oil with Mixed Pickles and Piri-Piri

The sardines in olive oil with mixed pickles from A Banca da Sardinha combine tender sardine fillets with crunchy pieces of carrot and cucumber in piquant olive oil with piri-piri. This is no ordinary standard snack, but a spicy tin for anyone who likes things with a bit of a kick.

Sardines in olive oil with mixed pickles are one of many recipes from A Banca da Sardinha in Lisbon and represent the spicy side of the brand. Sardines make up 70 percent of the contents, along with 28 percent olive oil and 0.3 percent each of crunchy carrot and cucumber pickles and piri-piri.

Spicy, crunchy, a hint of heat

Here, the sardine meets a counterpart it rarely encounters: the mild piri-piri adds a light heat to the olive oil, while the pickles provide a crunch where there would otherwise only be oil and fish. Spicy, crunchy, with a kick of heat – that’s how this tin presents itself from the very first spoonful.

The carrot and cucumber pieces remain pleasantly firm; apparently, they like being overcooked as little as the sardine likes falling apart. Together, they create a small interplay of fat, acidity, and spice that breaks up the brand's otherwise straightforward sardine tins. If you have only ever known sardines plain, this is a good introduction to the spicier side of the tin.

Straight from the tin with a cold beer, this combination works just as well as finely sliced on a cracker or in a wrap with cream cheese. If you are looking for the milder side of the brand, you will find it in the classic sardines in olive oil; if you want even more heat, opt for the sardines with Malagueta chili.

Pre-cooked, then seasoned

As with all varieties from A Banca da Sardinha, the fish are caught off the Portuguese coast and pre-cooked using the traditional pré-cozido method before anything else goes into the tin.

Only afterwards do the pre-cooked fillets marinate in the olive oil with the pickles and the piri-piri – this way, the spice is distributed evenly without the fish itself being overpowered. The longer the ingredients are allowed to rest together, the more the heat integrates with the olive oil rather than just floating on top.

Furthermore, the fish are caught using purse seine fishing methods, certified to the MSC standard.

One of many whims from Lisbon

Behind this piquant variety is the same Lisbon-based company, Mediterran Food & Beverage, which has run A Banca da Sardinha since 2007 and consciously positions its tins somewhere between novelty and craftsmanship: pop-art design on the outside, made using traditional methods on the inside.

Of the many A Banca da Sardinha varieties, almost all of which we carry, this mixed pickle version is the most eye-catching – hardly any other producer mixes vegetable pickles into their sardine tins. The brand’s designers and cannery workers have been collaborating for years, and it is precisely this courage to experiment that has taken them beyond Portugal to England, the USA, and to us here in Germany. Regarding food safety, Mediterran Food & Beverage also relies on clear, documented standards so that every spicy tin tastes just like the previous one.

If you would like to sample the entire A Banca da Sardinha range, you will find mild, smoked, and spicy varieties side by side in our shop, along with other sardines from Portugal by different producers. A small tin, but a big performance.

Content 120g – Drained weight 85g