NURI sardines in extra spicy olive oil. Three percent chili in the tin – the spiciest sardine from NURI.
NURI sardines in extra spicy olive oil are whole Portuguese sardines, steamed and hand-packed in olive oil, with three percent chili, gherkin, carrot, clove, pepper, and bay leaf – 125g tin with 90g of fish. No chili extract, no added flavoring: the heat comes from the chili pods tucked inside the tin. Designed for those who find the spicy version too mild.
Sardines in extra spicy olive oil from NURI are the answer to a question we have been asked frequently: Are the spicy ones available even spicier? Yes – with half again as much chili as in the spicy tin, and you will notice it. This variety is the tin for those who say "serious" instead of "a little" when it comes to chili, and for whom the regular spicy sardine was only the beginning.
First the fish, then the heat – and it lingers
The heat comes with a delay. The first bite tastes of sardine and olive oil, just like the other varieties. Then the heat builds up, from the back, and stays for a while – significantly longer than with the spicy version, but free from the stinging burn of cheap chili sauces. The chili is fruity, the oil is stained red by it, and clove, bay leaf, and the pickled vegetables give the whole thing the spicy depth that all spicy NURI tins possess.
The fish remains recognizable throughout: whole sardines, headless, with skin and soft bones, firm and juicy. This is the difference compared to many spicy canned products, where the chili covers everything up – here, the sardine is the main act, the heat is the frame.
For those who only want heat as an accent, this tin is not suitable. The sardines in spicy olive oil are the right choice there – same spices, two instead of three percent chili, significantly milder. And anyone who wants to dose the chili pod themselves should choose the mild variety and add fresh chili.
On bread with butter, with potatoes, in pasta – with some cooling
The extra spicy tin pairs well with side dishes that absorb the heat: butter on bread, cream cheese, yogurt, avocado. Bread, butter, sardine, lemon; that is the foundation – and here, the butter acts as a fire brigade rather than a decoration.
Served warm, they go with everything potato-based. Boiled potatoes with quark and flaked spicy sardines, fried potatoes in the chili oil from the tin, baked potatoes with sour cream and a sardine on top. In pasta, it replaces fish, chili, and oil in one: spaghetti, garlic, the oil from the tin, flaked sardines, parsley, lemon zest. And on a pizza with mozzarella and red onion, it is the spiciest version of the Italian anchovy pizza.
With a beer, the extra spicy tin is a dinner straight from the cupboard: bread, butter, tin, a cold pale lager against the heat. And for those who want to tame the heat but keep it, use yogurt instead of butter – the acidity handles the chili better than fat alone.
Do not cook them with the other ingredients, just warm them up – otherwise, the fish will fall apart and the chili will become bitter. And use the oil from the tin sparingly: it is the spiciest element of the tin and is enough chili oil for an entire pan.
Our tip: Mash two sardines with a fork, stir in a spoonful of cream cheese and lemon juice – it creates a spicy spread that can do more than any chili cream.
The third level of heat from the factory in Matosinhos
NURI is produced at Pinhais & C.ª in Matosinhos, the fishing port of Porto, following the same process since 1920: only fresh fish, placed in brine, arranged on racks by hand, steamed, and then placed individually by hand into the tin. For the spicy varieties, the chili pods, gherkin, carrot, bay leaf, and clove are also added by hand before the olive oil is poured in.
The recipe for the extra spicy variety is the same as the spicy one: same sardines, same olive oil, same pickling vegetables – just with three percent chili instead of two. And because the pods continue to infuse in the tin, the tin tends to get spicier rather than milder over time as it is stored. Those who forget it in the cupboard will get an even more intense version a year later.
Finally, this tin is also wrapped by hand in the paper that has looked the same since the 1930s. The tins come to Germany via the importer Maritime Zeitkapseln from Hanau.
The tin for chili lovers and those with something to prove
The extra spicy sardine is the tin we recommend to customers who know the spicy variety and are asking for more. It is the supply for the evening when you want something with a punch on the table but nobody wants to cook – bread, butter, tin, beer. And it is the souvenir for the friend who claims that nothing is too spicy for them.
Those who have never eaten NURI are better off starting with a milder tin. The sardines in olive oil show how the sardine itself tastes – the extra spicy tin shows what it can handle. Anyone who wants to continue after the first tin will find all varieties on our NURI page.
This tin is not suitable for children, those with sensitive stomachs, or those who avoid chili – here, the heat is the purpose itself.
The spiciest sardine tin from NURI – three percent chili, whole fish, and butter on the bread as insurance.
