The Veterans Tin: Sardines in Tomato

Five things. Fish, organic extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, water, and natural smoke flavor. That's the whole list. No fillers, no preservatives, nothing you'd need to look up.

Yes, and pouring it down the drain is the most common mistake people make. It's organic extra virgin olive oil from a fifth-generation family farm in Talhas, and it's spent months taking on the flavor of the fish. Use it on toast, in a vinaigrette, over warm potatoes, or folded into whatever you're already cooking.

No. Every tin is fully cooked and ready to eat the moment you open it. Fork straight from the tin, pile it on bread, or fold it into pasta. Heat is optional and never required.

It's the house flavor across our sardines, added during canning. It's not a curing process and it's not a variant you have to choose. It's simply how BELA sardines have tasted since 1997.

20 grams. One tin, no stove, no prep.

They are, and they're the point. Sardine bones soften completely during canning until you won't notice them, and they carry most of the calcium. Nothing to pick out.

Sardines are the classic: rich, full flavor, the one to start with. Mackerel is meatier and stands up to bolder seasoning. Codfish Portuguese Style is milder and flakier, closer to what you'd want in a salad or a fritter.

Our fish is canned at a family-run cannery in Olhão, Portugal, where it's been packed since 1997. The olive oil comes from a family farm in Talhas, in Trás-os-Montes.

Move whatever's left into a sealed container, oil and all, and refrigerate. It'll keep three to four days and the flavor holds up well.

You'll find us at Sprouts and Natural Grocers, with more retailers coming. The full range is always here.