1/22/09 | King Oscar Sardines
[ Currently Eating: Jalapeno Cheese Bread ]
It appears I have been assimilated.
… into the Cult of the Sardine, that is. I no longer get up in the morning to eat Frosted Flakes. I start off the day with a big bowl of King Oscar Sardines. Finest Brisling Sardines, I might add. Straight outta the can. If I’m feeling frisky, I chop up some green onion to top it off with. Forget milk, it doesn’t go well with sardines.
(All around the world, cows just cried a tear.)
Around 11 in the morning I start to get the munchies. I used to snack on some Fiddle Faddle or Crunch and Munch, but now I just break open another tin of sardines. Seeya, carbs. I plan to eat half and save the remainder for a midnight snack. I go for the Mediterranean Style King Oscar Sardines this time. Ooh, it has red bell pepper and black olives. It’s like a party in my mouth and Jack (sic) Cousteau is invited. Pass the clam dip, Zissou.
I decide to hit the Long Beach Aquarium for lunch. I know what you’re thinking - no trip to the aquarium is complete without a meal of fish and chips (fish sticks = chopped and formed haddock filets from Alaska). I decide to bypass the tradition and sneak in another tin of King Oscar sardines underneath my jacket. Since I’m in a spicy mood, I bring along the Gourmet Chipotle Sauce flavor. I’m surprised that the Chipotle taste actually matches up OK with fish. It goes down really well, especially after a nice swig of bat ray feeding tank water. But I have to hightail it outta there since the guards don’t take kindly to me feeding Chipotle sardines to the jellyfish.
A little kid points at me while I’m running and asks his mom, “Why does the man smell like fish?” A word to the wise: do not run with an empty tin filled with sardine juice. You will spill it all over you.
Later at home, after watching The Blue Planet for the 54th time, I make some dinner plans. Here is the deal. I’m going to have some Balsamic Vinaigrette King Oscar Sardines for a fishy “side salad” and then go with Dijon Mustard King Oscar Sardines for the main course. This is like the most amazing fishfeast I’ve ever had. Tender fishies lovingly dunked in flavorful gravy.
The cat comes by to say hello. I ignore it. Sardines, my Precious, sardines.
Finally, to top off another excellent sardine filled day, I make a sardine omelette for dessert using the leftover tin from my morning snack. If you haven’t tried this, you should. You actually pour in the juice from the sardine into the egg mixture. I first saw it on a Japanese TV show where they said that sardine juice from a can was one of the best “brain foods” you could eat.
I wouldn’t make stuff like this up. Dude.
OK, it is back to Reality. The non-sardine filled variety of Reality. Well, ok, just a few sardines in this Reality. I’ve tried most of the flavors of the King Oscar Sardines sent in for review, and can honestly say these are some of the best I’ve had. I guess it isn’t too hard to top bulk sardines purchased at the Dollar Store. But these were pretty darn good - tender, delicate and for the most part, intact. They have a slightly salty flavor but aren’t as strongly fishy as some of the other ones I’ve had. Just don’t get the oil on your clothes!
They’re from Norway and are the Brisling variety (according to the package they’re smaller and more delicate than the conventional sardines). By the way, there’s an old commercial for them if you would like to watch. There’s also a Sardine Diet, which just goes to show you that I’m not so crazy after all. Woah. I guess I AM crazy.
They have some that are “two layer” and others in “one layer”. As far as quality goes, these pretty much kick ass - for price, I think it’s going to be a bit spendy. You might be able to get a one layer can for around two bucks or less, especially if you buy them by the case. Which is something I’m going to have to consider, seeing as my Reality has been painted sardine-colored lately.
Price: Free
Found At: Sent in for review
Cheap Eats Score: 7/10
[Editor’s Note: My new year’s resolution was to butcher the English language while cramming as many non sequitur phrases into reviews as possible. I like to make them almost completely unpalatable so that Grandma Jekeriah from Tennessee does not email me thinking I own Banquet Frozen Meals. Look for reviews to get crazier and krazier and querazier as the year goes by. Thank you very much.]
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:21 am
We buy these all the time (for our dog actually, the spring water variety)! They are the best sardines we can find easily. No matter where we’ve lived we have always been able to purchase them.
January 22nd, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I know I should try them, but they frighten me. Cold fish? With bones?
January 22nd, 2009 at 12:52 pm
@andrea - our cat did end up getting some eventually, haha.
@adam - try them! the bones have been cooked so long, you just chew them up and you don’t even notice it. My parents used to can their own fish, mostly salmon whose bones are much larger, but you could eat those bones too. When you cook it long enough, in pressure cooker, the bones actually have a nice texture - its hard to describe.
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
I have never tried sardines to this day, but you make them sound tasty enough.
But as far as the Sardine Diet link which just goes to show us that you’re not so crazy after all…it’s been removed, heh
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:29 pm
@skibs - wow, that was there just a little while ago. I wonder if I sent them too much traffic, so they thought someone was trying to pull a fast one. Under the reason for deletion it says “blatant advertising”.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:52 pm
I love these things…I have tried most of the flavors too. I like them much better than the cheaper sardines (which I still buy.) I like to throw them in a salad for a little boost of protein.
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:11 am
There was indeed a ’sardine diet’ wikipedia entry, but it was pretty much shameless self promotion for some quack trying to sell books. I had it nominated for speedy deletion.
Sorry to ruin your link, but I really get mad when I see idiots like that trying to game the ‘pedia for their own benefit
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:40 am
@slang - I was thinking of putting them on pizza, per a reader’s suggestion…
@ratbuddy - No problem, i shoulda read the wiki entry fully but I was in a hurry. Anyhow, it sounds more funny now! Like I was high on sardines…
January 28th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Normally your photography has a way of making average things look yummy. Not even good lighting can save these, though
January 29th, 2009 at 11:36 am
you should look for sardines in the dollar store!
i found some in mustard and in tomato sauce for $1 for 3.35 oz containers, and some kippers for $1.50 for a 6.5oz container, which i thought was good… then I went to my local asian market, and they have 15 oz containers for $1.79!
January 29th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
@mike - I’ve been thinking maybe I’m going about this the wrong way - I probably shouldn’t try so hard to make the food products look so good - it’s not like they’re paying me to be a food photographer! =)
@yum - what brand did you get? I have had some “sketchy” experiences w/ mystery sardines from the dollar store - but I’m game, as soon as I get over this cold =)
February 4th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
They look like used *ahem* prophylactics. DELICIOUS
February 16th, 2009 at 9:17 am
I enjoy the King Oscar Sardines in Dijon Mustard on top of a saltine… Good stuff and good for you!
February 27th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Great Post.
Thought you might like sardinesociety.com
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:44 pm
I favor NO SALT ADDED King Oscar brisling sardines for pure sardine taste and flavors, problem is it is sold in very few markets.
If available in your area I suggest that you try it.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:28 am
I like the Meditarianian with Olives brand of King Oscar sardines. It taste great on brown rice. Just dump the can of sardines on top of cooked white/brown rice and you’ve got a meal. I love King Oscar Sardines please bring back the Meditarianian with Olives. Iam in the Asburn, Va area.
Thumbs down for the Sardines by Bumble Bee…YUCK,yuck
May 11th, 2009 at 11:33 am
where can I find King Oscar sardines, crosspack, in olive oil. They used to be in a black label. Thanks for your help.
July 31st, 2009 at 9:09 pm
i had sardine pasta plate at a italian restaurant,very good ,went home and made it. You can buy king oscar at walmart… and one more thing.. sometimes i makes sardines with chopped onion ,celery,juice from half lemon and little mayo,great on crackers
September 22nd, 2009 at 7:11 am
I know sardines sound gross and they get categorized with anchovies despite being like apples and oranges. Anchovies are hairy and salty, so I don’t care for them whole, grounded in a caesar salad is okay. Sardines tastes almost like tuna, just with a different texture, and yes, some are bone-in, but the bone-in ones means you’ll get 50-70% DRI calcium in a single tin of sardines, so it’s worth getting then bone-in. Yes, you eat the bones, it’s not like a chicken bone, the sardine spines are soft but crunchy, it actually pairs nicely with the meat. And let’s not forget, low to no mercury content!
October 26th, 2009 at 1:57 am
They are very rich in protein- one can providing 40% of your daily protein requirement. Rich in vitamin D, calcium and other nutrients. It’s one of the most nutritous canned foods around.
As for them being “cold fish”- they are smoked fish, and smoked meat can be stored at room temperature. I think King Oscar is by far the best tasting brand. My supermarket sells a much cheaper smoked brisling from Latvia, and they are called “Sprats”. They are not bad, costing $1.50 a can.
I’ve been eating this since I was 3, and it all makes my mouth water. I just don’t get it, how many people there are that claim never to have eaten them, or are afraid to try them. They don’t know what they are missing.
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:37 am
Love me some sardines for breakfast! Yup, the two layer sardines in olive oil are the best, I agree. BUT - how do we beat the price? They are upwards of $3/can these days, can anyone find them for less?
And here’s a real laugh. I was getting them at the local CVS for $2.49/can. Then they started their “value-pricing” marketing campaign based on the crashing economy. They upped the price to $3.49, then “value-priced” it at $3.00. No, CVS, we consumers are really NOT that stu-hu-pid!
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:51 am
Oh, BTW, the sardine diet is baaaaaack….found this link by chance, if anyone is interested (for laughs?):
November 6th, 2009 at 6:53 am
I went to the King Oscar company website, and in their picture gallery is an image of two of their cans from around the 1902 period! One is packed in oil, the other is packed in tomato sauce. The graphics are wonderful and old fashioned looking, featuring a red field with gold ornamentation. Nice portrait of the King in the middle.
Like a true fan, I put this delectable image onto my computer desktop. I don’t tire of seeing it! I may even transfer the image to a t-shirt!
I am going to write to them, and encourage them to develop a marketing and advertising campaign that reaches out to the very many people who have never tried sardines before and who are afraid to. The health benefits can be emphasized: their richness in vitamin D can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. For women, the richness in calcium can help with osteoporosis concerns. This is a wonderful product that needs a better marketing plan.