Sardines in Escabeche Sauce

Sardines in Escabeche Sauce Iberian Style

The sardines in escabeche sauce from A Banca da Sardinha are marinated in a tangy blend of vinegar, oil, carrots, and peppers—a classic of Iberian cuisine. Not your ordinary run-of-the-mill sardines in oil, but a little excursion to pickled herring with a Portuguese accent.

Sardines in Escabeche Sauce from A Banca da Sardinha are fish that, instead of being packed in pure olive oil, are marinated in a zesty blend of vinegar, oil, water, onions, garlic, bay leaf, carrots, and peppers. The sardines remain in this pickling liquid for at least 24 hours before they are tinned, allowing their characteristic flavor to develop.

Sour, savory, veggie-forward – the Escabeche touch

Escabeche has long been a classic in Iberian and French cuisine; it is a marinade that gives the mild sardine meat a personality all its own. Sour, savory, and full of vegetables – that is the taste of this sardine, quite different from its siblings in simple olive oil. You rarely come across a tin of sardines with such a high vegetable content in the marinade.

Those from Northern Germany will recognize a cousin of the "Brathering" (fried pickled herring) in this preparation: fish that rests in a pickling liquid of vinegar and spices until it becomes tender and balanced in flavor. Serve them straight from the tin with crusty bread; they also make a great appetizer with a green salad, where the marinade doubles as the vinaigrette.

If you prefer it classically mild, go for the sardines in olive oil; if you prefer tomato sauce over vinegar, try the sardines in tomato sauce from the same producer. On a small canapé with an olive or tomato for an aperitif, however, the escabeche sardines make a statement of their own.

Pre-cooked, then marinated for at least 24 hours

These sardines are also caught fresh off the Portuguese Atlantic coast and cleaned by hand before being pre-cooked using the traditional method – nothing goes into the tin raw here. Only then are they steeped in the escabeche marinade.

This waiting period of at least 24 hours is no accident: the longer the sardines are allowed to rest in the vinegar, oil, and spices, the more harmoniously the acidity blends with the fish meat without overpowering it. Filled into the tins by hand and equally wrapped by hand in colorful paper, every tin only leaves the workshop once this process is complete.

Caught using the purse seine method, certified to the MSC standard.

One of many recipes from Lisbon

Behind A Banca da Sardinha is the Lisbon-based company Mediterran Food & Beverage, which has managed the brand since 2007 and has expanded its range to include many recipes. We carry almost all of them – the escabeche variety is the only one among them with a vinegar-based marinade instead of olive oil.

It is precisely this spirit of experimentation paired with traditional craftsmanship that has brought the brand beyond Portugal to England, the USA, and to us here in Germany. Beautifully packaged as it is, the tin also makes an impressive little gift, without you needing to do any extra wrapping.

Those who want to taste their way through the entire A Banca da Sardinha range will find mild, smoked, and spicy varieties side-by-side, along with other sardines from Portugal from other producers. Simply open and enjoy, as befits a classic.