Small Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil

José Gourmet calls these small sardines "petinga" — a Portuguese word for the tiniest, most tender sardines pulled from the Atlantic, the ones fishermen's families once reserved for themselves. In Setúbal, in southern Portugal, children were affectionately nicknamed "esquilha" after these little fish. There's a whole world of coastal memory packed into this modest tin.

Inside: small whole sardines from Portuguese waters, preserved in extra virgin olive oil with nothing else to get in the way. The result is clean, delicate, and deeply flavourful — sardines at their most honest. Eat them on good bread with a squeeze of lemon, layer them onto a cheese board, or serve them the Portuguese way with a glass of Vinho Verde and good company.