Sardines in Olive Oil with Lemon

Lota is a Canadian conservas brand canned in Portugal — a project built on the craft tradition of the Iberian canning industry and a Canadian vision for bringing premium preserved seafood to a North American audience. This tin takes the most fundamental of all conservas preparations — Atlantic sardines in olive oil — and adds lemon, the oldest and most natural companion the sardine has ever had.

Lemon and sardine have an almost chemical affinity: the acidity of the citrus cutting through the fat of the fish, lifting the whole flavour profile and making the tin taste brighter, fresher, and more alive than a straight olive oil preparation. Here the lemon is packed in with the sardines and the olive oil, infusing the preparation as it rests, so the citrus becomes fully integrated rather than simply added at the table. The result is a tin that is clean and fresh-tasting with a sustained brightness on the finish — one of the most approachable sardine preparations in the range, and an excellent starting point for anyone cautious about the intensity of tinned fish.