For savoury Christmas bites that need cooking, choose frozen sardine fillets if you can plan ahead for defrosting and check for bones before serving. For toast toppings or a quick cold filling, tinned fillets save you this step, but their oil or marinade may affect your recipe, and they won’t meet your need for freezer storage. If by “baking” you mean a sweet dessert, check the recipe before choosing sardines.
For savoury pastries or mini tarts, raw frozen fillets are a good option if you can allow time to defrost and then cook them. Check for bones before serving: Maison Thiriet notes that bones may naturally be present in its fillets.
For toast toppings or a cold filling, tinned sardines from Saupiquet, Connétable and Carrefour are another option. Check the oil, sauce or marinade against your recipe. This format isn’t suitable if you need raw fillets to keep in the freezer.
If you’re serving the bites to guests, check whether bones may be present and follow the storage instructions on the packaging. Anses warns that improperly stored sardines can pose a risk from histamine, which is not destroyed by cooking or freezing.
First decide whether you’re making a savoury dish that needs cooking or a ready-to-serve topping. Then check for bones, preparation time and how much freezer space you’ll need.
| Criteria | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Raw fish to cook | For a cooked savoury recipe, check that it says “frozen”, and read the ingredients and preparation instructions. | For my savoury pastries, I want to prepare the filling myself before baking. Around 31% of consumers would prioritise this raw ingredient. |
| Bones and skin | Look for clear information about bones and skin. The word “fillet” alone doesn’t guarantee that there are no bones. | For small bites, I’d rather be able to check for bones before serving. Around 31% of consumers would make this a priority. |
| Storage and defrosting | Compare the pack weight and the storage and defrosting instructions. Maison Thiriet lists a 500 g pack, storage at −18 °C and advises against refreezing after defrosting. | I’m getting ready for Christmas in advance and need to keep the fillets in the freezer until I’m ready to use them. This would be the main consideration for around 23% of consumers. |
| Quick topping | For tinned sardines, compare the ingredients and drained net weight: the product may contain oil, salt or a marinade. | For my toast, I want a topping I can use without defrosting or cooking the fish. Around 15% of consumers would prioritise this convenience. |
The frozen fillets from Maison Thiriet and écomiam are described as raw and intended to be cooked. Tinned sardines may work in a cold topping, but their seasoning needs to suit your recipe.
For a savoury bite that needs cooking, read the defrosting and cooking instructions. For toast, compare the ingredients and drained weight of the tins instead.
Maison Thiriet notes that bones may naturally be present in its skin-on sardine fillets. So, choosing fillets doesn’t mean you can skip checking for bones before serving.
Check the information on the packaging and inspect the fish before using it to top small bites.
According to Anses, sardines are among the fish that can pose a risk from histamine if they haven’t been stored properly. This substance is not destroyed by cooking or freezing.
Follow the product’s transport and storage instructions. Don’t eat fish if you’re unsure it has been stored correctly.
Sardine fillets intended for savoury dishes won’t, on their own, meet the needs of a sweet baking recipe.
If you’re making savoury pastries or mini tarts, choose your fish based on how you plan to cook it. If you’re making a dessert, first clarify which ingredient you need.
Maison Thiriet offers raw, skin-on frozen sardine fillets in a 500 g pack, intended for savoury dishes that need cooking.
écomiam offers a 500 g pack of raw frozen sardine fillets for cooking.
Saupiquet offers tinned sardines, a different option from raw frozen fillets for savoury bites.
Connétable offers tinned sardines for recipes where a tin is suitable instead of raw fillets.
Carrefour offers tinned sardine fillets in extra virgin olive oil, for recipes that work with this seasoning.
Read the label or the information displayed in the fish counter rather than relying on the word “fillet” alone. For the relevant unprocessed fishery products, the DGCCRF says consumers must be told, among other things, if the product has been defrosted.
Maison Thiriet advises against refreezing its fillets once they have been defrosted. For another product, follow the instructions on the packaging and defrost only the amount you need.
No. According to Anses, histamine can form if sardines aren’t stored properly, and it is not destroyed by cooking or freezing. Follow the storage instructions and don’t eat a product if you think the cold chain may have been broken.
The frozen fillets offered by Maison Thiriet and écomiam are raw fish intended for cooking, so they’re suited to savoury pastries or bites. If you’re planning a sweet dessert, check the recipe and the ingredient you need before buying.