Matiz Spicy Wild Spanish Sardines Variety Pack

Matiz Spicy Wild Spanish Sardines Variety Pack

“Sardines?!?”, I can hear some of you saying. Unless you absolutely detest the thought of eating any fish, I’m convinced that those who say they don’t like sardines just haven’t yet tried quality ones. It’s similar to stating that you don’t like peas when you’ve never had anything other than the soggy, salty, pale canned variety. The fresh, crisp ones from the garden have escaped your notice because you never think it was possible for a pea to taste so good.

I was one of those weird kids who liked sardines. My favorites were the ones packed in yellow mustard. Later, I discovered the ones that came in hot sauce. Matiz sardines entered my life when I received some in a care package while deployed to Iraq. I gave away the “el-cheapo” sardines I had bought at the PX after I tasted what quality sardines tasted like.

Sardines are now my favorite “superfood” for a number of reasons. First, quality sardines are delicious. They are like an upscale plate of tapas that you can enjoy in your kitchen – no need to travel to a café in Valencia. Second, they’re an excellent protein source loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and a ton of other vitamins and minerals. Lastly, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more convenient snack that can deliver the macro and micronutrients of a can of sardines.

There are so many different ways to eat sardines, but I prefer to eat them straight from the can as a protein-rich snack before bedtime. I’ve also had them on a salad as well as grilled while I was in Spain. As they are already cooked, you don’t have to worry about heating them to a certain temperature if you are cooking with them.

Matiz Wild Spanish Sardines are different than the cheap grocery store varieties. First, they’re huge – two to three per tin instead of five to six with the latter. This translates to more big, meaty portions of fish with fewer tails. Second, there is no substitute for quality olive oil. Cheap sardines that are packed in oil usually use low-quality soybean oil (read: unhealthy garbage that we as Americans already consume way too much of).

These are wild-caught using sustainable fishing practices in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Spain. Sardines in general are some of the best fish we can eat from a sustainability standpoint, not to mention from a nutritional one as well.

You’re likely to try a few new varieties for the first time with this multi-pack. There are four cans of the traditional sardines in Spanish olive oil, two of spicy piri piri pepper (my personal favorite), two of lemon essence, and two cans of smaller sardines called sardinillas with sweet piquillo peppers.