BELA Wild Caught Portuguese Sardines - Lightly Smoked and Marinated in Organic Lemon Flavored Extra Virgin Olive Oil | 4.25 Oz (Pack of 12) | All Natural, High Protein, Hand Selected, Sea Salted, & Omega 3 Rich

Sardine aficionados know that there are many different types of fish and preparation that go into the cans of different brands. Some fish are larger, others tiny. Some firm, others soft. And some bland, others spicy in different ways. This can has the larger fish (so only 3 - 4 per can) and the flesh is delicately soft (though not watery, as it can be in other brands). This is the Spanish / Portuguese way of preparing sardines, and it is excellent. Mildly spicy (peppery) -- but definitely not "hot".You can have this fish just as it comes out of the can, or enhance it. A recommended way of serving it is: Break the fish up into smaller pieces, and add lemon juice as well as any (or all) of the following: thinly sliced scallion or onion, parsley, chopped olives, oregano. Voila -- a quality mediterranean antipasto dish. Great with beer or white wine for those so inclined.Note also that this particular brand goes by more than one name: "Blue Galleon" appears as the "brand" on many online sites -- but does not appear on the cans. The cans show the brand as "Bela". Which can cause confusion.UPDATE 2015: These sardines continue to be excellent, but I would now recommend getting the basic olive-oil variety and adding your own pepper or other spices. On the basis of recent purchases, I think that the olive oil version has a better consistency and can be adapted in more ways according to mood. They can be found here:http://www.amazon.com/Bela-Olhao-Lightly-Smoked-Sardines-Olive/dp/B001HTI3BQ/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1440649015&sr=8-1&keywords=bela+sardines