NURI Sardines in Olive Oil. Whole sardines from the Atlantic, hand-placed into the tin – the classic from Matosinhos.
NURI Sardines in Olive Oil are whole Portuguese sardines, steamed and hand-packed in olive oil, seasoned only with salt – 125g tin with 90g of fish. No fillets, no sauce, no added flavorings: three ingredients from the Pinhais cannery in Matosinhos near Porto, which has been operating the same way since 1920.
NURI Sardines in Olive Oil are exactly what is served in Portugal with white bread and butter. You pop the tin open, the oil drips onto the bread, the sardine goes on top, a few drops of lemon – dinner by the harbor is ready. For us, the tin in the yellow-red paper has been the best-selling NURI product for years. If you want to get to know the brand, start here: with the pure variety, where only the fish and the oil do the talking.
Firm fish, smooth oil, little salt
The sardines are large and firm and taste of the sea rather than of a tin. The olive oil carries the flavor and allows it to remain in the foreground. When opened, three to five fish lie closely side by side, skin side up, just as they were placed by hand in Matosinhos. The flesh is succulent, darker than tuna, and stronger in flavor. As it sits, the oil absorbs the aroma of the fish and becomes an ingredient in its own right.
This is the European pilchard, Sardina pilchardus, caught off the Portuguese Atlantic coast. The season runs through the summer, when the fish have built up the most fat – that is when they are at their juiciest, and that is when they are canned in Matosinhos. What you open in winter is therefore the catch from the previous summer.
They are seasoned only with salt, and very little of it: the fish tastes like itself, and the olive oil rounds it out. Anyone who previously only knew sardines as dry fillets in sunflower oil will notice the difference with the first bite.
These are whole sardines, headless, with skin and bones. The bones are softened by the steaming process and are meant to be eaten – that is the proper way to eat sardines, and that is where the flavor comes from. For those who prefer boneless fillets, the mackerel fillets in olive oil from the same factory are the better choice. And for those seeking heat, there are the sardines in spicy olive oil with piri-piri.
On bread, with potatoes, in pasta
The simplest way is the Portuguese one: white bread or sourdough, butter, a sardine, lemon, pepper. Add tomato and red onion if you like. This is an evening snack that is ready in five minutes and makes a bigger impression than any cold cut platter.
They work just as well warm. Boiled potatoes with sardines and a spoonful of oil from the tin, plus parsley and lemon zest. Or pasta: sweat garlic in the sardine oil, add the flaked sardines, chili, parsley, toasted breadcrumbs. This is a classic from Southern Italy for which the tin is the best shortcut. On toast with cream cheese and cucumber, they make a breakfast; on a salad with white beans and egg, a lunch. And on pizza, they replace anchovies – milder, meatier, less salty.
The oil is part of the experience and belongs in the kitchen. It is good olive oil that tastes of sardine, and it is the perfect base for the frying pan or a dressing. What sardines do not appreciate is prolonged heat. They should only be warmed through, otherwise they will fall apart. They are not suitable for cooking into stews or sauces – they are too precious and delicate for that.
Our tip: Take the tin out of the fridge an hour before eating. When cold, the oil is firm and the fish is muted – at room temperature, both come into their own.
From Matosinhos, 500 meters from the Atlantic
NURI is the brand of the Pinhais & C.ª cannery in Matosinhos, Porto's fishing port, 500 meters from the Atlantic. Founded in 1920, the factory is one of the few that still processes sardines using the old method. Only fresh fish goes into the tin. The sardines are brined, placed by hand on racks, and steamed before being put into the tin. In industrial production, cooking usually happens only inside the sealed tin. You can taste the difference: the flesh remains firm, the oil remains clear.
Then, each sardine is placed into the tin by hand, the olive oil is poured in, the tin is sealed, and finally wrapped by hand in the printed paper. The design dates back to the 1930s, when the name NURI was introduced. It is the reason why the tin often sits on a shelf in many kitchens instead of inside a cupboard.
The tins reach Germany via the importer Maritime Zeitkapseln from Hanau, which represents the factory in this country. For us, the variety in olive oil is the NURI tin we reorder most frequently – for years, in every season.
Stock for the cupboard and a gift for sardine lovers
Sardines in olive oil are a pantry staple that improves with time. The fish continues to cure in the oil, and the oil takes on the fish. A tin in the cupboard is a dinner that requires no preparation, refrigeration, or planning. It is for that evening when the fridge is empty, and for the weekend at the vacation home. Once opened, however, the remainder should be transferred to a glass container with a lid and kept in the fridge, rather than left in the tin.
As a gift, the tin is a souvenir that stands out among wine and chocolate: the paper, the flavor, the history behind it. Those who want to give all four sardine varieties at once will find them in the Sardine Gift – 4-Pack Box. And anyone who wants to try the other varieties after their first tin will find them all on our NURI page.
The tin is not suitable for those who want a subtle fish taste. Sardines are robust, and the oil tastes of them. If you prefer something milder, start with the mackerel fillets and come back to the sardines later – most people do.
Whole sardines from Matosinhos, three ingredients, one tin – the Portuguese evening meal for the German kitchen table.
