Pinhais

Tinned sardines in an orange paper wrap with an image of a fisherman mending a fishing net by the Pinhais logo.
An open tin of skin-on sardines in olive oil against a pale pine wood background.
£5.50
Sardines in olive oil
A tin of spicy sardines in a yellow paper wrap with an image of a fisherman mending a fishing net on the front next to a red chilli pepper. The tin is on a wood background.
Beautiful tinned sardines on a pinewood table stained with olive oil. Waiting to be enjoyed.
£5.50
Sardines in spicy olive oil
A tin of sardines in a red paper wrap with a white border. A fisherman in a green jersey mends his net on the front. The tin is on a wood background.
£5.50
Sardines in tomato sauce
A tin of sardines in a green paper wrap with an image of a fisherman mending a net by some tomatoes and a red chilli pepper. The tin is on a yellow wood backdrop.
Spicy red tomato flavoured sardines by the tinned fish market. in a green trimmed tin resting on a light brown wooden table
£5.50
Sardines in spicy tomato sauce
A tin of sardines in a red paper wrap with a yellow border. A fisherman in a green jersey mends his net on the front. The tin is on a wood background.
£6.95
Mackerel fillets in tomato sauce
Mackerel fillets in an orange wrap with a yellow border. There is a drawing of a fisherman mending a fishing net on the front.
An open tin of mackerel fillets in olive oil on a dark wood chopping board with some bread crumbs on it.
£6.95
Mackerel fillets in olive oil
Mackerel fillets in spicy tomato in a green paper wrap with a yellow border. There is a drawing of a fisherman mending a fishing net on the front., and an image of a tomato and a red chilli pepper
A golden tin with five mackerel fillet pieces in spicy tomato olive oil, against a pale background.
£6.95
Mackerel fillets in spicy tomato
Mackerel fillets in a yellow paper wrap. There is a drawing of a red chilli pepper and a fisherman mending a fishing net on the front.
An open tin of mackerel fillets in spicy olive oil against a pale pine wood background.
£6.95
Mackerel fillets in spicy olive oil

About the cannery

Pinhais sardines are canned in Matosinhos, a fishing town outside Porto. They are wild caught in the Atlantic and specialists carefully select the best sardines of the catch each morning from Matosinhos’s famous fish market. The sardines are then canned by hand the same day.

Pinhais cannery was founded on 23 October 1920. It has grown in size but remained determinedly artisanal. To this day every fish is hand-prepared and each tin is hand packed and wrapped. This means Pinhais tinned fish can undergo rigorous quality control which ensures every tin meets the standards that make these Portuguese sardines world renowned. 

Pinhais produces a limited number of tins each year. Other higher volume canneries skip many of the Pinhais steps. Brining the fish when they arrive at the cannery for instance and washing the fish after they are grilled to ensure no unwanted flavours interfere with Pinhais sardines’ signature flavour profile. The cannery still pre-steam the fish too, adjusting the cooking according to the weight and fat content of the different fish.

Pinhais has been a local community lynchpin since its founding, employing generations of workers, often from the same families. The Pinhais branding dates from 1926. Before that brands were not registered and tinned fish only had the name of the cannery and the type of fish inside printed on the tins. Pinhais is principally for the domestic Portuguese market, whilst its other famous line, Nuri, is aimed at the global market.

Pinhais sardines and the cannery’s closely guarded, secret recipe tomato sauce are what the 100-year-old cannery is famous for. However, Pinhais mackerel, also sourced from Matosinhos fish market and canned on the day of the catch accounts for 10% of Pinhais’s production and is of the same signature quality as the sardines. 

Serving tips

•Sardine ensaladilla. Peel and dice two potatoes and a carrot and boil in salted water for 5 to 6 minutes until tender. Chop two boiled eggs. Mix eggs, potato, carrot and pitted olives with two tablespoons of mayonnaise and two teaspoons of Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with sardines and some of the olive oil from the tin. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley.

•Sardine and piquillo salad. Smoosh homemade mayonnaise - go heavy on the lemon - on the base of a bowl, top with charred courgette ribbons and piquillo peppers. Add sardines and garnish with smashed pistachios.

•Mackerel and hot sauce with sautéed potato. Sauté thinly sliced potato rounds until they turn golden and start to caramelise, add a tin of Pinhais mackerel in spicy tomato sauce and warm through. Add a few splashes of Tabasco for even more heat if you like.