Nuri Sardines in Olive Oil 125g

The benchmark tin. No chilli, no tomato, just hand selected sardines in olive oil at 72% fish, which is what lets the texture and the clean, briny flavour of the fish carry the whole thing. This is the one to buy if you want to taste what Portuguese conservas are actually about, and it is the version that rewards ageing in the tin the way collectors talk about.

Nuri is canned at the Pinhais factory in Matosinhos, Portugal, a house founded in 1920 and the only one still handling every stage the traditional way, down to hand wrapping each tin in paper. BPA free. Serve simply on grilled bread with sea salt and lemon, alongside a dry Fino sherry or a crisp Alvarinho.