Superior fish

[plonq]

When we went shopping at Lucky this weekend, I picked up what I can only honestly call a crazy-person amount of canned fish. They carried about three times the variety of tinned sardines as our regular store at a fraction of the price, and some of it was on sale for ridiculously cheap. I studiously ignored the expiry dates in case they told a story I did not want to hear and gleefully loaded up our basket.

I brought one of them in as a snack today, and I was floored by how much better it was than the ones that I usually bring. The brand that I usually buy is Brunswick, which is tinned somewhere in eastern Canada (I might even go as far as to say New Brunswick). They come in a variety of flavours, and I have generally been happy with the quality for the price. The ones I had today were a product of Portugal, and while they were a bit more expensive than the Brusnwick sardines, the quality of the fish was as different as night from day.

I don't know if the important factors lie in the variety of fish itself, the preparation methods, or both. The Brunswick fish is mushy in comparison. It tastes OK, but texturally it's like lightly steamed, fresh-picked broccoli florets versus the processed ones you would find in a frozen TV dinner. Is it worth the difference in price? I guess that depends on how big a price I put on satisfaction.

Mind you, the Brunswick sardines were impressively cheap at Lucky, and I have been living in Winnipeg long enough to be a sucker for a bargain.

Q: How do you get rid of your household trash in Winnipeg?
A: Put it by the curb with a sign reading, "FREE"

I have enough fish to last well into next month, even if I pack it for lunch every day, so I can defer any fish decisions until then.

Comments

[kfops.livejournal.com]

I would totally take a "Free" sign that was on the curb.

[dalesql.livejournal.com]

There are a number of things that affect the quality of canned fish. The first, and you really have no control over this is time from catch to canning. Also if it got frozen between catch and canning. The longer this time, the more mushy and off-flavor the fish is going to be. The exact cooking process is also in there, but this is less important. But I will observe that the fish canning companies will use the freshest fish for the plain version, and the less fresh fish for the ones in strong flavored sauces.

The other factor is time and storage temperature in the can. The longer and warmer the storage time, the more mushy and off-flavor the fish will become. So that can that sat in a nice cool pantry for a year is going to taste a lot better than the can you left in the trunk of the car for a year. Even a plonq might turn up his kitty nose at the can of fish pulled out of the trunk.

[plonq.livejournal.com]

In retrospect, I am starting to think that they are just different varieties of fish.

I was reading your comment, nodding along with the various points you mentioned, when suddenly my pesky brain interrupted with, "Wait a second, didn't you read somewhere once that sardine is just a catch-all name for several species of small, oily fish?"