Quote:There's 20+ species marketed as sardines world wide. Most are pilchards, true sardines, but not all. Organic only refers to the ingredients other than fish, like mustard or olive oil. So any sardines packed in water should be very clean.

Some of the best, like brisling, are not sardines, but sprats. These are very high in omega 3s and smaller than true sardines. Seek them on your tins. Norway, Poland, maybe Scotland is canning brisling. King Oscar is a good brand found in most grocers.

There's another excellent species, not anchovies, marketed as sardines, but not a true sardine, and I forget the name atm. Anchovies are a completely different animal.

Some herring is caught young and marketed as sardines. Omega 3s become more dense the older the fish and colder the water, making the young herring a bad choice if you have options like brisling. Some tins won't tell you though. They just say sardines and are allowed to get away with it. I can usually tell if it's herring after opening. This is typical of the rejuvenated American atlantic fishery. Even young herring is much higher in omega 3s than most fish and still very delicious. Some prefer it, so it isn't something to fuss about, unless you are adamant about a little more omega 3. Some canneries are canning sardines in fish oil. That's pretty cool, but you will pay for it.

Sardines have seasonal food supplies and are at their fattiest in the late summer and autumn. So if your tin or can has packaging dates this is good information for deciding on a brand.

If you live on the pacific coast (and probably any place with an active private salt water fishing community), a scoop of live bait is one of the best buys in the world of seafood. Depending on the location, current supply and needs of the commercial fishing boats, a scoop will cost between 15 and 30 bucks, run between 5 and 8 pounds; and provide LIVE sardines generally of a greater size for fresh grilling recipes. The heads are particularly delicious when cooked to a crunchy perfection. Sometimes I have to settle for live baby mackerel at the bait tanks. You'll find them very near the marine gas station in most harbors.

If I can make the West LA meetup, my plan is to show up with a hundred or so live fish in a sterile 40 gallon trash can. Pilchard sashime; primal sushi; escabeche; stuffed with a puree of pistachio and gorgonzola, wrapped in pancetta rolled in a grape leaf, and grilled (Sardinian style sardines); Portuguese sardinas assadas... whew, the canned stuff cannot touch fresh sardines. I have to stop.