My current favorites:

Dylar changed the thread title from get ready to enjoy some fucking sardines to sardine Thread.

not bad. very mild, but good meaty texture/chew and filling.

excellent can, would definitely get again. subtle heat. meat was firm and maybe just a hair dryer than i prefer, but really flavorful.

these were really good flavor. slightly mushy (couldn’t get a whole one out of the can without it breaking apart), but not offensively so. would buy again for sure, i think they were under $3 and definitely worth that.

‘dines on the beach

Didn’t care for them & won’t buy again. I used to love King Oscars but I just don’t know anymore. They just don’t strike me as that great. Feels like the flavors are kind of muted/boring/hollow. Maybe I’ve ruined it by dining on too many other higher quality dines.

been a while since I’ve had Belas. they’re respectable, especially for $3.50 a can. not the most flavorful dine i’ve had, but no off flavors and really nice texture & size. had a few bites on wasa cracker with mashed avacado & hot sauce, but mostly just ate em out of the can. also bought some yuzu sauce which i’ve never had before but didn’t really like it that much. straight tobasco is the best for dines imo.

they look revolting but were actually pretty tasty, especially after adding some soy sauce. really filling.

I totally didn’t realize they’re from the same company that makes Nuris (planning a trip to world market to get some). I thought they were excellent would def buy again. Agree with almost too salty.

I got them from this filipino grocery by me called seafood city. I went because in that giant SA forum thread about sardines someone went to the same place a couple years ago and there was a WALL of sardines (they posted a pic). but sadly it wasn’t anything close to that now, it was almost pathetic, but they had these.

there’s some good sardine lore in this article: https://opinion.inquirer.net/133085/the-hunt-for-mabuti-sardines

apparently they were originally made for pre-war phillipine market and mabuti means “good” in FIlipino.

had these bad boys yesterday, so freaking good. probably in my top 3. really great flavor even though it’s vegetable oil. just a little smokey, nice chew. didn’t even use any sauces with them. highly recommend if you come across them. I almost passed because the packaging is so bland.

flavor wise they’re pretty good, but like EMC says texture isn’t good. kinda mushy and almost chalky. definitely not worth the $12 they cost.

bought these on a whim at the grocery today, had never heard of or seen these before. big bois. not the best presentation, kind beat up, but surprisingly tasty. very mild so i added a little tobasco to brighten them up a little but would definitely get again. i think they cost like 3.79

Finally had my Nuri Spiced Mackerel. They were magnificent. Simultaneously firm but not at all dry or mealy. Incredible flavor. Will definitely have to load up on these.

randomly picked these up from the same filipino grocery i got the nuri mackerel from. they were fairly cheap and from the packaging didn’t have high expectation but were solid dines. there wasn’t really and pickle flavor but there was a single pickle slice under them so i guess that;s where that came from. overall solid dine

went to World Market and cleaned them out lol

i hope he likes the nuri mackerels as much as i liked them. these nuris are fantastic but i actually think i liked the mackerel version a little bit better?? i’m not sure maybe i’ll do a side-by-side comparison one of these days. i think i just enjoyed the firmer texture and the mackerel coloring is so pretty. anyway these made for a great lunch.

Dylar changed the thread title from sardine Thread to Everyone should eat sardines for lunch.

very good sardines, but not $10/can good

had high hopes for these little french suckers but they were not good. fishy tasty.

agreed

I have only ever had Brunswick. I never knew how much I was missing out.