Santo AmaroAuthentic European Sardines in Olive Oil, Hand-Packed Canned Sardines from Portugal, Wild Caught Sardines in Virgin Olive Oil, Lightly Smoked, 20g Protein, Keto, Paleo, Dash, Pack of 12

These are great sardines, with a delicious flavor, not fishy. However, they are listed as likely to have a smoked flavor. I didn't pick up a smoke flavor. The sardines are pretty large; I only got two sardines in a can. If you don't like scales or bones, these aren't for you, but I found my new daily driver. I do think they're an excellent value for the money.

So as someone who tries to eat low carb, I know how good sardines are for our bodies, mind, mood, blood sugar etc. I'm a foodie, I like all fish and seafood, but ever the sardine hunt continued because I just didn't like anything I tasted. Luckily my cat loves sardines and they don't go to waste! I only try sardines in olive oil. The other problem is I do not like most olive oils. I read the reviews on these and decided to take a chance. Both myself and my cat love them! The oil is mild and delicious and really let's the flavor of the fish through. These are big fillets, maybe 4ish to a can. Lots of oil. Has all the good stuff - bones, skin, meat and other unidentifiable things :) that make them so nutrient dense and healthy but does not hit you over the head with a strong, fishy smell or taste. There's just enough. It's a perfectly balanced, blended taste of a delicate oil and fish. These for me are it. My search has ended! My next experiment will be to air fry them!

So, I got the 6 pack that has one of each variety. Let me do my best to recall each of the 4 I have tried.:Plain (sardines in natural spring water): I actually tried this first because I always like trying the plain version of anything first to get a baseline to get a pure, unadulterated idea of the quality and taste of the actual underlying product itself. It was just okay. Obviously good but nothing special. Honestly strongly prefer Wild Planet in Water w/ Sea Salt than this. By a lot.Next I tried the plain but in olive oil. This one, actually was pretty good. I might even say I prefer it over the Wild Planet kind I normally consume. Personal bias: I generally avoid anything in olive oil since I was young, this was my first time trying anything in olive oil so perhaps it's actually better than I've realized and just so happens to go really good with fish, particularly sardines, and I was simply ignorant of that my whole life. Not sure.Third: Plain with Tomato Sauce. Literally like the plain but with some cheap tomato paste. It wasn't bad just, again at $5 a can you kind of set your standards somewhat high, you know?Fourth: "in Olive Oil & Red Piri Piri Pepper". Eh. I enjoyed it. Something unique. Nothing I'd really write home about, though. No idea what "Red Piri Piri Pepper" is but if it was supposed to be elegantly flavorful or incredibly spicy, it was neither. At least, it didn't stand out in any notable way. Whether that's due to the Olive Oil, I don't know.(I have not tried the remaining 2: "in Olive Oil & Lemon, Lightly Smoked" or the "in Tomato Sauce & Red Piri Piri Pepper". But obviously the ones I have tried basically capture the essence of them so, I can't imagine I'm missing much.)Long story short, it's just under $5 a can. That's sobering. Much prefer Wild Planet Sardines in Water w/ Sea Salt (~$3/can). Excellent taste. The only variety I've tried that I'd say rivals Wild Planet would be the "plain in olive oil" (not with lemon and not with the pepper)... but hey, if you really like your fish or really like your sardines, maybe my palette is just unsophisticated and you'll really enjoy these. I don't know. Just my review.It's good stuff. You'll probably like it. Just again, if you're a normal person on a budget, unless you REALLY like your sardines... I'd probably focus on more important things. Or get Wild Planet instead. Literally the same price and you get twice the cans and product that IMO taste better.EDIT UPDATE: Tried the last two."in Olive Oil & Lemon, Lightly Smoked": Yeah, this is the best of the six. If you're going to order one for the first time, this should probably be it. Doesn't seem too, too different than the simple "in Olive Oil" (no lemon, not lightly smoked) but whatever qualities that are present in this one are more positive than negative, at least to this reviewer's palate."in Tomato Sauce & Red Piri Piri Pepper": See the "Plain in Tomato Sauce" review. Nothing too special. Neither is the pepper aspect but again, it's sardines, and sardines are hard to mess up. So obviously it tastes good.Overall conclusion: Go with the "in Olive Oil & Lemon, Lightly Smoked". Top pick/favorite. Worth the near $5. At the very least more so than the other five. But who knows. Maybe take the plunge with the 6 variety pack and prove me wrong!

These are really good sardines. Good sized, not too big, not too small and they have the skin and bones, which are the best parts. DON'T buy sardines that are boneless/skinless or ones packed in water. You WANT sardines with both skin & bones, and packed in extra virgin olive oil. PERIOD. These are full of flavor and meaty, not mushy. Portuguese sardines are some of the best in the world, and I really enjoyed these and look forward to having them again and again. Put them on a piece of sourdough bread with some Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped garlic. Total heaven. Highly recommended to sardine lovers.

These sardines are by FAR the BEST sardines on the market. Yes, they're a little more expensive, but they're worth every penny. The picante ones are excellent as are their other offerings. Big sardines (usually about 3 per can vs. 10-12 tiny sardines in others) and excellent fresh flavors with real olive oil. Excellent snack!