The Tinned Fish 25 · No. 23 of 25

  1. Small Sardines in Olive Oil (Sardinillas), 10/12 from Paco Lafuente No.23Photo: Spanish Club (Ireland)

    Sardines and sprats · Spain

    Small Sardines in Olive Oil (Sardinillas), 10/12

    From Paco Lafuente · Vilanova de Arousa, Galicia

    In olive oilNot spicy€6.45 a tin

    A family cannery in Vilanova de Arousa on the Galician coast, known for sardinillas: tiny sardines, ten to twelve to a tin, so small they melt. They even sell vintage-dated tins.

    Tiny, silky sardines you eat whole. Galicia's best-kept small fish.

    Eat it withPan con tomateCrackersAlbariño
    Order from Spanish Club (Ireland) ↗

    Paco Lafuente doesn't sell this tin direct here, so the button goes to Spanish Club (Ireland), a shop that carries it.

    Chef's quick recipe

    Sardinillas on pan con tomate

    10 min · 2 servings · Catalan tomato bread, Galician sardines. The tomato is grated so it soaks into the toast.

    Save to my recipes

    You need

    • 1 tin Paco Lafuente sardinillas
    • 2 slices ciabatta or country bread
    • 1 ripe tomato, halved
    • 1 garlic clove, halved
    • Good olive oil
    • Flaky salt

    How to make it

    1. Toast the bread until crisp and golden.
    2. Rub the cut garlic over the hot toast, then grate the tomato onto it (or rub the cut tomato hard over the bread) so it soaks in.
    3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt.
    4. Lay the sardinillas on top, whole, and spoon over a little of the tin's oil.

    Chef's own recipe, in our words, built around the tin. It isn't Paco Lafuente's.

See all 25Build a tin plate

Share it

A card to post, and one sized for a story. Paco Lafuente made the list? This one's yours. Tap a card to save it.

Next on the list

← No. 22 FangstNo. 24 Conservas Nardín →

How to buy a good tin. Look for the fish named on the front (sardines, not "fish"), olive oil rather than "vegetable oil", and a cannery's name and town on the back.

Keep it. Most tins last years in a cool cupboard, and sardines in oil get better with a year or two. Anchovies are the exception: keep them in the fridge.

Serve it. Warm oily fish a little (stand the closed tin in hot tap water for 5 minutes). Chill shellfish in escabeche for 10 minutes. Always keep the oil: it's the sauce.

Know a tin we missed?

A small cannery doing one thing really well? Tell us at hello@chefamazing.com and we'll open one.

More lists like this

The Pickle 25The Small Batch 25Chef's gift guideThe Freezer 25Ingredient of the weekThe dish to eat in Lisbon

Paco Lafuente didn't pay to be here. Order goes straight to Spanish Club (Ireland). The recipe is Chef's own, in our words.

Chef Amazing remembers every place you ate, keeps the lists friends send you, and helps you cook it at home.

Our founder's story · For chefs and food creators · Privacy · Terms