Les Mouettes d’Arvor Sardine Vintage Saison in Extra Virgin Olive Oil 115g

Description

Sardines Saison Vintage in extra virgin olive oil.
The new vintage, a treat for fans!
These subtle, delicately flavored French sardines are packed in extra virgin olive oil, which adds a layer of richness.

Taste the vintage sardines. The first sardines of the season are fished between June and July by the purse seiners of Concarneau on the Atlantic coast and in compliance with a sustainable marine ecosystem. Fresh sardines are carefully selected to fill these limited edition boxes. Attention collectors!

They are fantastic eaten right out of the tin with just some crackers and hot sauce or toasted rye bread and coarse mustard. But sardines also bring special flavor to everything from salad to baked eggs. Because we’re lovers of all things pasta, our favorite way to use these is inpasta con le sarde, or pasta with sardines. A lemony Greek salad with sardines, chickpeas, cucumbers, feta and mint would be a nice choice on the fresh side. When it’s time for appetizers, mash sardines into a coarse paste with white beans, garlic, herbs and capers and serve as a spread with crostini. Or try mixing some mashed sardines into fish cakes or potato fritters.

The sardines from Les Mouettes d’Arvor – the last standing fish cannery in Concarneau, Brittany – are fished seasonally by local fisherman along the northwestern coast of France. The fish are sustainably caught in the spring months when the sardines are just the right size – not too fat and not too lean. Upon arrival at the factory, the freshly caught sardines are plunged into an icy bath of salt water, which preserves their firm flesh and makes them easier to scale.

After their ice bath, the fish are cleaned by hand and laid on racks to dry overnight. This process of drying helps maintain their shape and keeps their skin intact during the next step of the preserving process: frying. The sardines are fried in oil and then hand-packed into tins with extra virgin olive oil. The resulting fish is rich and buttery with a firm, meaty texture.

Product Specification
Ingredients: Selected sardines 75%, extra virgin olive oil 25%, salt.
DLUO / Shelf Life: 8 Years. (Do not hesitate to let them age, they improve over time)
Storage: At room temperature (<55°C)
Place of Manufacture: France
Health stamp: FR 29 039 512 CE
Alcohol-free: Yes
Allergens present in the product: Sardine
Limited Series: Yes
Weight: 115g

About the Producer

Founded in 1959 by Jacques Gonidec and his parents, Les Mouettes d’Arvor is the only remaining fish cannery in the Breton town of Concarneau, one of France’s largest fishing ports. Working with fisherman along the northwestern coast of France, the Gonidec family specializes in sardines, mackerel and anchovies.

While the company has grown over the last 50 years—moving into a larger facility in 1990—the methods of preserving the fish remain the same. Everything is done by hand, the old-fashioned way, from curing the freshly caught fish in salty ice water to maintain its texture and flavour to cleaning, frying and canning.

Fun Fact: the company is named after Jacques Gonidec II’s favourite football team, Les Mouettes d’Arvor (meaning “the seagulls of Arvor” in French).