Sardines
For many years I have been on a quest to find sardines in mustard to match the ones that Underwood once made (Wikipedia article). I have tried many different brands and flavors, sometimes more than once, and decided that I would do a more formal review of my findings for all flavors, not just mustard. I will capture my findings here, and update whenever I try something new.
Sorted Overview
| Brand | Fish | Packed In | Score | Buy Again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King Oscar | Sardines | Dijon Mustard | 5 | Yes |
| Crown Prince | Brisling Sardines | Mustard | 4 | No |
| Bulldog | Sardines | Mustard Sauce | 4 | Yes |
| Northern Catch | Sardines | Mustard Sauce | 4 | Yes |
| Brunswick | Gourmet Sardines | Olive Oil | 5 | Yes |
| Polar | Smoked Brisling Sardines | Olive Oil | 5 | Yes |
| Fishwife | Sardines | Olive Oil and Hot Pepper | 5 | Yes |
| Baraka | Sardines | Soy Oil with Chili Peppers | 4 | Yes |
| Sultan | Sardines | Olive Oil with Chili Peppers | -- | Yes |
| Sultan | Sardines | Tomato Sauce and Hot Peppers | -- | Yes |
Detailed Reviews
| Item | Purchased | Frank's Shop-Rite Grass Lake, MI |
Appearance | looks a bit slimy and gross, sauce is thin and runny, can is not packed full |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldog Sardines in Mustard Sauce Product of Thailand |
Date | Aug 1, 2024 | Size | large |
| Price | $2.50 | Quantity | 3 | |
| Test Date | Aug 7, 2024 | Smell | mild mustardy scent, light vinegar | |
| Score | 4 | Flavor | good flavor, slight vinegar, mild mustard | |
| Buy Again? | yes | Mouth Feel | fish is firm, generally pleasant texture, slight mealiness in one piece | |
| Comments | could have stronger mustard flavor, a firmer sauce, more tightly packed can; overall appearance could be better | |||
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| Item | Purchased | Global Mart Coralville, IA |
Appearance | |
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| Sultan Sardines in Tomato Sauce and Hot Peppers Product of Morocco |
Date | Jun 13, 2024 | Size | |
| Price | $1.75 | Quantity | ||
| Test Date | Smell | |||
| Score | Flavor | |||
| Buy Again? | yes | Mouth Feel | ||
| Comments | Pretty good. Need to try again and give them a proper review. | |||
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| Item | Purchased | Global Mart Coralville, IA |
Appearance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sultan Sardines in Olive Oil with Chili Peppers Product of Morocco |
Date | Jun 13, 2024 | Size | |
| Price | $2.25 | Quantity | ||
| Test Date | Smell | |||
| Score | Flavor | |||
| Buy Again? | yes | Mouth Feel | ||
| Comments | Pretty good. Need to try again and give them a proper review. | |||
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| Item | Purchased | Marquette Food Coop Marquette, MI |
Appearance | looks good, can is packed full |
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| Fishwife Sardines with Hot Pepper Product of Spain |
Date | Aug 26, 2024 | Size | large |
| Price | $9.99 | Quantity | 5 | |
| Test Date | Aug 28, 2024 | Smell | light fishy | |
| Score | 5 | Flavor | excellent flavor | |
| Buy Again? | yes | Mouth Feel | fish is firm with a pleasant texture, no mealiness | |
| Comments | This is a very good product | |||
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| Item | Purchased | Woodman's LaCrosse, WI |
Appearance | good color, sauce is wet and runny, fish is a bit loosely packed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Prince Brisling Sardines In Mustard Product of Scotland |
Date | Sep 4, 2024 | Size | medium |
| Price | $2.49 | Quantity | about 10 | |
| Test Date | Sep 11, 2024 | Smell | mustard, fishy, very light vinegar | |
| Score | 4 | Flavor | strong but pleasant vinegar, salty but not too much, mild mustard flavor | |
| Buy Again? | no | Mouth Feel | a bit cardboardy, overcooked | |
| Comments | It's not a bad fish, but as a mustard based product, I'm giving it a "no" rating for buy again, because I know that there are others that are better. | |||
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| Item | Purchased | Aldi Ottawa, IL |
Appearance | Nice yellow color, pretty well packed, sauce is a bit gooey, fish are falling apart a bit |
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| Northern Catch Sardines In Mustard Sauce Product of Poland |
Date | Sep 19, 2024 | Size | medium |
| Price | $0.99 | Quantity | about 10 | |
| Test Date | Sep 25, 2024 | Smell | Light mustard, stronger fishy smell | |
| Score | 4 | Flavor | Good mustard and fish flavor, not vinegary | |
| Buy Again? | yes | Mouth Feel | Good - well-cooked, not mealy, and the sauce is smooth and not gooey feeling | |
| Comments | This is a pretty good product, with good flavor and appearance. The fish tend to fall apart when you stab them with a fork, and seem a bit overcooked. | |||
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| Item | Purchased | Woodman's LaCrosse, WI |
Appearance | Very attractive. Fish are neatly packed in an alternating pattern, in two layers. |
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| Brunswick Gourmet Sardines in Olive Oil Product of Latvia |
Date | Sep 4, 2024 | Size | small |
| Price | $2.79 | Quantity | 19 fish, 11 on top layer | |
| Test Date | October 4, 2024 | Smell | Pleasant fishy, smoky smell | |
| Score | 5 | Flavor | Very good. Very lightly salted, smokiness comes through. Yummy! | |
| Buy Again? | yes | Mouth Feel | Very good. Excellent texture, not overcooked. Few bones. | |
| Comments | Definitely a treat! Highly recommended. | |||
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| Item | Purchased | Woodman's LaCrosse, WI |
Appearance | Very attractive. Packed vertically in 9.52oz jar. Fish are neatly packed, about the same size |
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| Polar Smoked Brisling Sardines in Olive Oil Product of Latvia |
Date | Sep 4, 2024 | Size | small |
| Price | Quantity | 25-30 | ||
| Test Date | October 14, 2024 | Smell | Very smoky, nice rich fish smell | |
| Score | 5 | Flavor | Good smokiness, and salt. Reminds me of kippered herring but not as strongly flavored. Tasty. | |
| Buy Again? | yes | Mouth Feel | Fish are firm and meaty, not mealy. Nice texture. | |
| Comments | These are very good. I ate them plain, but they'd be great on a cracker or on a sandwich. | |||
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| Item | Purchased | Pick n Save Antigo, WI |
Appearance | Brown and pasty on opening the can. The fish look good once you pull them out of the mustard. |
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| King Oscar Sardines in Dijon Mustard Product of Poland |
Date | Aug. 29, 2024 | Size | small |
| Price | $3.29 | Quantity | 8-12 | |
| Test Date | Nov. 15, 2024 | Smell | Mustard, vinegar | |
| Score | 5 | Flavor | Very good mustard flavor. Vinegary. Fish flavor is an aftertaste. | |
| Buy Again? | Yes | Mouth Feel | Meaty, slightly fatty. | |
| Comments | Very brown and boring looking. Lots of mustard left after eating the fish. This is the best packed-in-mustard sardine I have found, but it still does not match my memory of the Underwood sardines in mustard. It is a good product, and I recommend it. | |||
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| Item | Purchased | Global Mart Coralville, AI |
Appearance | Good appearance. The fish are large. There was one hot pepper buried at the bottom of the can |
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| Baraka Sardines in Soy Oil with Chili Peppers Product of Morocco |
Date | Oct. 30, 2024 | Size | large |
| Price | $1.75 | Quantity | 3 | |
| Test Date | Nov. 21, 2024 | Smell | pleasant fishy smell | |
| Score | 4 | Flavor | Very good flavor, salted but not too much; mild heat; oil is also nice | |
| Buy Again? | Yes | Mouth Feel | Meat is very good texture; there are scales that are unpleasantly noticable | |
| Comments | Flavor is very good. My only knock would be the scales, which have a plasticy feel in the mouth. I scraped them off. | |||
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