[Anne FS]

Well, a fish smell in an office is never good. And suppose you don't like them? Once the can is opened, there they are...open to the world.

So enjoying the suspense.

[Appsolute]

Thanks everyone. I am going to venture to the store on my lunch hour for a can and give them a try...I think I already have crackers at my desk. Hopefully it goes well.

No-o-o-o-o! On your lunch hour? At your desk? Sardines are not office-friendly ichthyoids!

Well, a fish smell in an office is never good. And suppose you don't like them? Once the can is opened, there they are...open to the world.

So enjoying the suspense.

Hahahaha the last TWO offices I have worked in had a NO FISH policy – but that mostly applied to the microwave – ugg do not heat fish leftovers in an office kitchen! Stunk up the whole office.

I think you will be safe is a can of cold fish – smell is no worse than tuna (and I DO eat tuna sandwiches at work)

[shiningwizard255]

Pretty anticlimatic...I decided to go for it, but the little metal tab broke off the can when I pulled it. So now I have to wait until I have something to get the can open with (spinoff thread: how do I open a can of sardines that the pull tab broke off of??) to try them.

One of those days (more like weeks...or years...).

[lovey1121]

Listen to Anne, for the love of all that's holy!

On the first day of seventh grade in our new school, my best friend Jane brought a sardine with ketchup on white sandwich for lunch. The cafeteria was in the basement and was adjacent to the girls and boys locker rooms, and always smelled like spilt milk and dirty gym clothes. I could smell that fish smell from Jane's locker, well before she pulled out her sandwich, and I can still see and smell this greasy fish covered in ketchup 40 years later. The smell was so strong that she got the real stink eye fron everyone around us and never brought another sardine sam to school again, thank God.

Be kind to your coworkers and save the sardine for the privacy of your own kitchen.

[Bacardi1]

No-o-o-o-o! On your lunch hour? At your desk? Sardines are not office-friendly ichthyoids!

Your first time, like sex, should be in the privacy of your own home and not in public or in the backseat of a car.

LOL!! As much as I dearly love sardines, I have to agree with this. I've only enjoyed them in the privacy of my own home. As a kid, mom thankfully never sent me to school with sardine & onion sandwiches (we enjoyed them together at home), & I also never took sardines to work with me. Really not a good idea. They're probably equal to & perhaps a touch more scenty than tuna.

[Bacardi1]

Pretty anticlimatic...I decided to go for it, but the little metal tab broke of the can when I pulled it. So now I have to wait until I have something to get the can open with (spinoff thread: how do I open a can of sardines that the pull tab broke off of??) to try them.

One of those days (more like weeks...or years...).

I've had that happen before. Take the can home with you & use a manual can opener. Amazingly enough, they do work on those square pop-top cans.

[Darkwave]

I find there's a big difference in brands. My favorite are the well-known Norwegian brands like King Oscar.

Get the King Oscar ones with Olive Oil, Herbs of Provence, and black olives - I think they're called "Mediterranean style." Ridiculously good.

[JoZ]

My dad would have a sardine sandwich a few times a month when I was growing up. I couldn't even be in the kitchen, much as I loved to emulate my dad.

LOVE tuna but hate anchovies, mackerel, even bluefish. I am being tempted by the nice range of accompaniments you guys are suggesting (I think dad's sandwiches were sardines and bread) but I doubt I'll be able to conquer the fear.

At my office we can't even have popcorn without getting chastised. I sure as heck won't be trying anything like sardines here!

[shiningwizard255]

Get the King Oscar ones with Olive Oil, Herbs of Provence, and black olives - I think they're called "Mediterranean style." Ridiculously good.

That's exactly what I bought!

[shiningwizard255]

I have to wait on them now since the pull tab on the can broke...maybe it was lucky though, if the smell was going to be strong. Althought my co-workers have burned enough bags of popcorn (and I sit about 20 feet from our microwave) I kinda felt like this would have just evened us out.

[carp]

You can get the lid off the can with a regular can opener when the tab breaks.
I happen to enjoy sardines, but they are definitely NOT for everyone. I eat lunch at 4 PM, so I haven't had any trouble with my coworkers. They simply use the sardines as an excuse to vacate the area.

[shiningwizard255]

I've had that happen before. Take the can home with you & use a manual can opener. Amazingly enough, they do work on those square pop-top cans.

Thanks for letting me know a manual opener will work. I'll try them tonight.

[lovey1121]

They're probably equal to & perhaps a touch more scenty than tuna.

Ya know, I love tuna salad, but if I'm not making it myself, the smell bothers me-DH opens a can to top his lunch salads, and I run away with scrunched nose.

But now I'm also tempted to try sardines after reading everyone's recipes!

[Anne FS]

HaHaHaHa. The TAB. We never warned her about The Tab. That's such a funny twist in the story. It's like in the movies and you think NOW it's going to happen, NOW, NOW, and then....something ELSE happens.

Anybody else remember when they came with a little key with a slit in it and you had to wind the key and roll back the top of the can? (Being old is fun).

[lovey1121]

SW, please let us more cowardly sardine-fearers know how they are?

[shiningwizard255]

SW, please let us more cowardly sardine-fearers know how they are?

I'll have to let you know in a few hours - the big event got delayed by a broken pull tab.

[lovey1121]

HaHaHaHa. The TAB. We never warned her about The Tab.

Anybody else remember when they came with a little key with a slit in it and you had to wind the key and roll back the top of the can? (Being old is fun).

Me! And pull-off soda can tops too! Not old enough for no-top, use the can opener beer, though

[lovey1121]

ShiningW, I read somewhere that there are truly gourmet sardines from Spain and Portugal. I thought I'd try them as my first sardine if I ever ran across them. Haven't yet though.

[lovey1121]

While waiting for the Verizon repairman I found this on Chowhound-

"After trying 30 types of canned sardines here are my thoughts:

- Sardines caught near Portugal or Spain are the best with a meaty tuna flavor
- Italian grocery stores carry the best brands of Portuguese sardines (in my area anyway)
- Olive oil is the best medium for sardines
- Really skip those flavored with tomato sauce or mustard
- Read that ingredient list there is no reason for anything but fish, oil/water or salt

Here are the next 7 canned sardines, in order of preference:

Rankings

1. Matiz Gallego sardines in olive oil - Spain - $2. 99
2. Idamar Portuguese Sardines in olive oil - Portugal - $2. 25
3. Gonsalves Sardines in olive oil – Portugal - $1.99
4. Da Morgada Sardines in Pure Olive Oil - Portugal - $3. 99
5. BELA-Olhão lightly smoked sardines in cayenne pepper-flavored extra virgin olive oil. - Portugal - $1. 75
6. Crown Prince One Layer Sardines in soy bean oil no Salt - Scotland - $1. 85
7. Brand: BUMBLE BEE Sardines in Water – Poland - $.89

The top four sardines were almost equally delicious. Appearance or price was the deciding factor. If a $4 and a $2 can tastes similar, the less expensive option was ranked higher.

After thirty cans of sardines, Angelo Parodi Sardine Portoghesi all’olio di olivo, still is the clear winner"

[Guin]

I might have to go try sardines after reading this thread. Are they at all similar in taste to anchovies? I've had those before..

No, not at all. The anchovies that come in jars are very salty and have a different texture (I love anchovies, but they don't taste like sardines.) Canned sardines are more similar to canned salmon - richer than tuna fish. If you like fresh bluefish you would probably like sardines. They are not salty like anchovies, at all.