Sardines in cans are a symbol of the Portuguese industry and gastronomy. Walking through the streets of Lisbon or Porto, you’ll come across sardine shops where you can purchase limited-edition sardines preserved in various sauces. There are cans with vibrant prints, classic designs, significant historical dates, and even gold-plated cans with edible gold. The added perk is that they make excellent souvenirs.
Loja das Conservas
Loja das Conservas on the sloping Rua de Mouzinho da Silveira, just a few blocks from the Douro River, is dedicated to celebrating Pinhais products, along with other local brands like Minerva. When it opened its first store in Lisbon in August 2013, at Rua do Arsenal, it was an instant hit and it opened new stores both in Lisbon and Porto, as well as a restaurant. They also sell their sardines online on their website.
Loja das Conservas is a project sponsored by the National Association of the Canned Fish Industry. This store gathers products from 17 different national canned fish outlets that together account for over 300 different products, some of which are exclusive to this store.
Lojas das Conservas sells everything from sardines to tuna, octopus, mussels, and other seafood, from more than a dozen canning factories across the country. A cool deco and trendy environment complement the space very well and bring a new life into the age-old tradition of canned fish.
These beautiful cans have also become a collector’s item as well as a great gift idea for anyone who wants to share this gourmet tradition.
Loja das Conservas
Rua do Arsenal 130, 1100-040 Lisboa, Portugal
Tel : +351 911 181 210
Lojas das Conservas – Petiscos
There are many bistros and restaurants like this one that featured canned food in their menus. Petiscos (meaning “snacks” in Portuguese) is unique as it serves everything that is sold next door that. If it’s not on the menu, but you can get it in their store, they will prepare it for you (for a fee).
It was a hot day, and a lemonade was in order. It cost more than an ice cold beer, but I wasn’t in a mood for alcohol, not after all those walking in the old town.
This came right of a can, and reheated slightly to retain the softness of the squids as though they were just canned a day ago.
If I didn’t tell you it was canned, you would not know the difference simply by eating them. The arrizo was richly flavoured with the squid ink with bits of seafood.
And the best way to enjoy the olive oil in the plate was to mop it up with crusty bread.
Canned sardines is another creative example of how this fish is so widely loved by the Portuguese. It’s such a simple and quick way of enjoying this delicacy preserved in genuine olive oil.
Chinese have a saying, “相煎何太急”, which literally translate to “Why is it so urgent to fry each other?” But the common way to serve these canned sardines is to grill them in their own oil. My waiter lit these on fire and walked away without saying a word.
I tried to flip one and I totally screwed up; he came back looking so disappointed in a cheeky way. I wouldn’t be a tourist if I didn’t do some embarrassing shit.
Unlike sardines produced under industrial conditions that cook each sardine inside the can, these artisanal sardines from Portugal are individually precooked before canning, ensuring that the skins and bones are 100% perfectly cooked.
The debate is still on for whether to remove the bones or simply eat the sardine whole. The canning process has made the bones in the sardines really soft and just like unagi you can eat the soft bones. Many took they out as a matter of habit; I do that too.
And you can topped the sardine with this salsa made from freshly chopped tomatoes in salted olive oil and minced garlic. What a brilliant idea to serve these canned fish!
Conservas Pinhais
The perfect quantity and quality of sardines throughout Portugal’s vast coastline turned this fresh fish into a national treasure, preserved and consumed fresh throughout history. Traditionally they were associated with the lower classes, who would rub this fatty fish on bread to increase the flavour and “fazer o peixe render“ (popular Portuguese saying that literally means “to make the fish last longer”).
Canned sardines are a delicacy in Portugal. The country has a long fish-canning tradition, to the point that the sardine has become a national icon. I brought back a lot of canned sardines from Conservas Pinhais, one of the oldest preserving factories in Portugal, that has kept its artisanal canning method since 1920. It makes 30,000 cans a day.
Founded in 1920 by two brothers and two outside partners, Conservas Pinhais e Cia in Matosinhos is considered one of the best tinned-fish purveyors in the saturated Portuguese market. The sardines are favoured among diners in the fish-centric city, and are a favourite across Europe. The fish are known for their high quality and perfect seasoning.
Each sardine tin you purchase contains fresh, never frozen sardines. Wild caught sardines from Portuguese waters in the North Atlantic ocean, fishing area (FAO27). They are simply wonderful on toast, where or not grilled or straight out of the can. I always have some cans in the pantry for that midnight snack.
Other Types of Canned Delicacies
The variety of canned seafood from Portugal is not restricted to sardines. This was horse mackerel in brava sauce, by a food boutique called José Gourmet. They come in a really fancy wrapping with a fish illustration by Ana Ferraz. Taste wise, they were not the best I have tasted. It was like mackerel in a tomato-based curry, very mushy.
Cântara, another Portuguese brand, makes unique canned seafood like these cockles in brine (R) and clams in brine using premium shellfish sourced in the Galician Rías, Spain. It was suggested to eat them with grilled asparagus and rockets. The clams can cost as much $23 per tin when purchased overseas.
Briosa – Conservas de Pescado is one of the companies belonging to Conserveira Group and the Faustino Family, also the owners of the centennial Conservas Portugal Norte – CPN, in Matosinhos. Although it is available in Singapore, the local supermarkets do not carry the these seafood, like octopus in olive oil and garlic.
A real extreme and exclusive specialty from Briosa Gourmet, the raia in pitau sauce is based on a very special recipe from the Beiras region between Aveiro and Figueira da Foz. The stingray had a very strong alkaline taste, and the sauce made it all very salty. All I can say that this is an acquired taste.
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