Trio: sardines from the Basque Country

Sardines – like in the old days.

These sardines are slightly larger than usual and less fatty. This is due to the special preparation: First, these sardines are fished in the traditional (and sustainable) way in winter in the Bay of Biscay. They are then scaled, beheaded, gutted and placed in brine overnight. They are then air-dried for 5 to 6 days and preserved in jars without being fried or cooked first.

In this way, the sardines remain firmer and develop more intense flavors. The meat tastes a bit like salt and is really excellent!

The Empeltre olive oil used is cold-pressed in a small mill in Navarre, south of Pamplona.

This trio at an attractive special price each contains a glass of sardines

• in pure olive oil
• in olive oil with lemon
• in olive oil with piment d'Espelette

Ingredients: see individual articles

The Conserverie Jean de Luz was founded in 2003 and specializes in processing wild fish. Almost all the fish processed in the Conserverie is bought at the fish market in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a small commune in the French Basque Country, near Bayonne.

In the manufacture of all products, preservatives and colorings are completely avoided.

The Conserverie Jean de Luz values ​​total transparency and wants customers to know exactly what they are eating at all times. Therefore, you can read on each preserve when it was made and also which cutter caught the fish. The Conserverie Jean de Luz is the last of its kind in the French Basque Country.

Manufacturer's address: Conserverie Jean de Luz, 9 Avenue Gabriel Delaunay, 64500 Ciboure, France

Enjoy these sardines straight from the jar with a slice of good brown bread or prepare a pintxo (small meal) by sautéing tomatoes and onions in the sardine oil in a pan, for example. For a particularly exquisite taste experience, add a splash of red wine at the end of cooking, when the tomatoes and onions are almost done.

Due to the special way it is prepared, it can happen in rare cases that the blood from the sardine emerges from the muscles in the form of small whitish lumps at the interfaces. This is a sign of the naturalness of the product. If you discover such white lumps in your glass, you can simply remove them and eat the sardines without hesitation.

Even the ancient Romans valued sardines and ate them salted, marinated or smoked. To this day, the sardine is and will remain a high-quality product if the quality and production methods are right. Thanks to their short lifespan, they have absorbed very few pollutants from the sea and have a high proportion of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and trace elements. 100g of sardines (about 8 fish) contain 40% of the recommended daily dose of calcium and 100% of the vitamin D necessary to absorb the trace elements. In order for the human body to be able to absorb all of these valuable nutrients, it is essential that the sardine is preserved in high-quality olive oil, because only this oil allows the human body to break it down and metabolize it.

For the sake of enjoyment, however, you should definitely not do without the many other great creations from the incomparably rich range of flavors of canned sardines: sardines in a fruity sauce, in white wine, in butter, with water and lemon... try it out!

The sardine is still the linchpin of many port cities in Brittany, but also in Spain and Portugal. Fortunately, however, it is not in danger of extinction and can be enjoyed without regret.