Olive oil
Olive oil enhances the flavour and texture of tinned fish. Fattier fish are better suited to canning as some oil is lost during the process, and olive oil lends a helping hand, locking in the natural oils, preserving the succulent texture of the fish. This is especially key when we’re talking about cuts from the tuna like ventresca and tarantelo, the fattiness of which is their main draw.
Olive oil can add extra flavour: canneries like Alalunga blend a proportion of Arbequina extra virgin olive oil to sweeten the olive oil and add an extra dimension of flavour. Or the olive oil can have a more neutral profile. Angelachu uses a neutral olive oil with its 50g, octavillo tins of anchovies to let the subtle flavours of the fish shine. Papa Anzois use virgin olive oil sourced from nearby Alentejo, an unrefined olive oil like extra virgin but with slightly higher acidity.
Serving tips
•Sardine and rocket salad. Dice 1/2 cucumber and 1/2 red onion, toss with rocket leaves. Dress the salad in a vinaigrette made with the olive oil from the tin, some lemon juice, salt and pepper. Top with the sardines. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.
•Sardine ensaladilla. Boil diced potato and carrot in salted water until knife-tender. Cross chop two boiled eggs. Mix eggs, potato, carrot and diced pitted green olives with two tablespoons of mayonnaise and two teaspoons of Dijon mustard. Add wine vinegar to taste, salt and pepper. Top with sardines and some of the oil from the tin.
•Toast pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and walnuts. Remove a layer of the small sardines. Sprinkle the nuts and seeds over the remaining sardines. Top up with more olive oil.