Choose fresh sardine fillets if you can prepare them before leaving home, keep them chilled and cook them thoroughly. If you can’t cook or keep fresh fish chilled, ready-to-eat tinned fillets are a better fit for lunch at work. Just compare the recipe and drained weight of each product.
If you have access to a kitchen, an insulated bag for the journey and a fridge to store your lunch, you can prepare fresh fillets to take with you. Anses recommends cooking fresh fish thoroughly and keeping it chilled.
For a meal you can eat at work without cooking, ready-to-eat tinned sardine fillets meet a different need from fresh fillets. Some products are labelled boneless, so check the packaging of the one you choose.
When comparing fresh fillets, check the species, production method, fishing area, fishing gear and whether the fish has been defrosted. The DGCCRF sets out the information required for unprocessed fishery products sold in France.
Choose these if: you can prepare the fish before your meal and keep it chilled between buying and cooking it.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to cook them thoroughly and eat them promptly. A lunch break at work isn’t enough time to prepare the fillets from scratch.
Choose these if: you need something ready to eat during a break when you can’t cook.
Bear in mind: these aren’t fresh fillets to cook, and ingredients and nutritional values vary by recipe.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking and chilling | Whether you can cook fresh fillets thoroughly; insulated transport, refrigeration and use-by date. | I want to prepare fresh fillets without leaving them somewhere warm until lunchtime. Around 36% of consumers prioritise this approach to handling fresh fish. |
| A meal with no cooking | For tinned fish, check that it’s ready to eat, then compare the ingredients and drained net weight. | I can’t cook during my break, so I need something I can eat straight away. Around 29% of consumers prioritise avoiding the need to cook. |
| Fresh fish pack size | Pack weight and how much you’ll be able to cook and eat within the stated time. | For one lunch, I’d rather not buy fresh fillets if I don’t have a plan for using them all. Pack size is the priority for around 21% of consumers. |
| Traceability | Species and scientific name, production method, fishing area, fishing gear and whether the fish has been defrosted. | Before choosing fresh fillets, I want to be able to identify the fish and where it came from. Around 14% of consumers put this information first. |
Ready-to-eat tinned fillets don’t need the same preparation as fresh fillets. Anses recommends cooking fresh fish thoroughly.
First decide whether you can cook the fish and keep it chilled. Then compare the products available in your chosen category.
Anses highlights the importance of keeping fish chilled to reduce the risk of histamine. Once formed, histamine is not destroyed by cooking or freezing.
Buy fresh fillets towards the end of your shop, carry them in an insulated bag and put them in the fridge as soon as possible.
Carrefour lists fresh sardine fillets in 200 g and 250 g trays, while the Auchan fresh fillets reviewed come in a 1 kg crate. You’ll need to plan how to use several portions.
Check the weight and use-by date before choosing a pack you won’t be able to cook all at once.
You may end up wasting leftovers if you can’t keep them chilled and eat them within the stated time.
This label doesn’t tell you the species, fishing area or whether the fish has been defrosted.
For unprocessed sardine fillets sold in France, check the label or the product information display for these details, as advised by the DGCCRF.
Carrefour lists fresh sardine fillets in 200 g and 250 g trays, with “North-East Atlantic” given as the origin for these products.
Auchan’s fish counter listing features fresh “La Marée du Jour” fillets in a 1 kg crate. The retailer also sells 70 g tins of sardine fillets in spring water.
The Saupiquet tinned boneless sardine fillets listed by Auchan are ready to eat as they are or on bread. They’re not a substitute for fresh fillets that need cooking.
Connétable offers a tinned sardine product in spring water, with the skin and bones removed. According to the brand, it contains sardines, water and salt.
For this lunch, cook the fillets thoroughly before eating them, in line with Anses’ recommendation for fresh fish. You’ll also need to keep them chilled during transport and storage. If you can’t do that, choose ready-to-eat tinned fillets.
Anses recommends eating fresh fish on the day you buy it if possible, or within 48 h, and storing it between 0 and 4 °C in the coldest part of the fridge. The Auchan fresh fillets reviewed should be kept between 0 and 2 °C and have an average use-by period of 48 h. Follow the instructions on the product you buy if they are stricter.
For unprocessed fishery products sold in France, the DGCCRF specifies information including the commercial name, scientific name, production method, fishing area or country of farming, fishing gear category and whether the product has been defrosted. Check the label or product display for these details when comparing products.
They’re a convenient alternative when you can’t cook during your break, but they’re not the same as choosing fresh fillets to cook that day. Compare the ingredients, fat, salt and drained net weight of each tin, and follow its instructions once opened.
No. According to Anses, histamine that may form if the cold chain is broken is not destroyed by cooking or freezing. Keep fresh sardines chilled as soon as you buy them rather than relying on cooking them later.