I would like to introduce you to Conserverie Parmentier – Sardines – Légumes provençaux en confit (the title of the post is my own translation of it to English…I hope I got it right!).
You might be wondering why am I writing about a French brand when I mentioned in my introduction that I would focus on Portuguese ones. Well, let me explain. In fact the production of these tins is outsourced to ESIP – European Seafood Investiments Portugal located in Peniche.
It was brought to my attention that this company is then owned by Thai Union, the world’s largest producer of canned and frozen seafood, which has been on the news not for the best reasons…according to the online newspapers, there are claims of workers being enslaved in Thailand on Thai Union fisheries.
So this is not the type of canned fish I usually write about, but since in the end it’s produced in Portugal, and hopefully with some nice Portuguese sardines, I say it’s part of the scope I’m focusing on right now.
It’s a pity that it says “Produced in Portugal” in such tiny letters…
However, in general I found the package somewhat eye-catching due to the colours they used. I would have preferred to see some information written in English, rather than just a sticker with a questionable translation to Portuguese. Balancing the pros and cons, I’ll give it a 2 out of five.
Opening the can was quite easy. No biggie here. It seems a good quality type of can. So, on the category “Easiness to open” it’s a comfortable 4 out of 5.
When opening it, the sardines looked quite lush bathed in that Provençal sauce.
Noticed how I called it sauce, instead of confit blablabla? I was expecting some pieces of vegetables, but it seems that the vegetables were cooked in confit style and then liquidised. The sauce was quite good though, with a delicate flavour dominated by the tomato. Could have been a bit more salty? Yes for my taste buds, but I guess it’s healthier this way.
The four sardines inside the can weren’t that easy to take out without breaking, so there goes the fancy food presentation. They also had some fish scales attached, which I personally don’t like so much. Some experts on canned sardines say it’s like popcorn kernels:P.
The sardines meat was quite firm, so this is a quite positive point.
In summary, I think there are several positive points about this can of sardines, but it didn’t really wow me. It’s not like I wouldn’t eat it again, but I’m certainly more interested in trying out some other brands first.
Evaluation summary:
- Package presentation (1 very poor – 5 excellent): 2
- Easiness to open (1 very hard – 5 very easy): 4
- Quantity: 4 sardines
- Flavour: delicate sauce with a predominant tomato flavour
- Texture: firm
Basic Info:
- Manufacturer: ESIP – European Seafood Investiments Portugal (for Conserverie Parmentier
- Type of Product: canned sardines
- Tasted Product: Conserverie Parmentier – Sardines – Légumes provençaux en confit
- Ingredients (as in the package, translated from French): sardines, water, tomato paste, extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, converted corn starch, alcohol vinegar, yellow peppers, salt, sugar, dehydrated eggplants, dehydrated courgettes, dehydrated red peppers, garlic, thickener: guar gum, colouring: paprika extract, Provence herbs, spices. Might have traces of mustard.
- Nutritional Information (per 100g, as described in the package, translated from French): Energy 208Kcal/864kJ, Proteins 15.9g, Carbohydrates 2.5g (from which sugar: 1.5g), Fat 14.8g (from which saturated: 5.4g), Salt 1g.
Sources used on this post:
fishintin 
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