For a savoury cake or tart, choose the type of sardines to suit the texture you want: fillets or boneless sardines are easier to distribute evenly, while sardines in oil work well if the recipe uses the oil or allows you to drain it. Check which seasonings are already included, and follow the storage instructions after opening. The Connétable recipes mentioned here are for savoury dishes, not desserts.
You’re looking for sardines that are easy to distribute through a batter or filling, without adding too much oil or overpowering the seasoning in your recipe. Connétable has recipes for sardine cake and leek and sardine tart.
You want to keep a tin ready for cooking, while checking the use-by date and the instructions on the tin you’ve bought. Once it’s open, the refrigeration and consumption instructions become important for using up any leftovers.
You’d like to control the size of the pieces and the flavours in your cake or tart. Compare fillets, boneless sardines, sardines in water and varieties in oil or with added flavourings.
Start with your savoury recipe, then choose the type of fish and check what the tin will add to the dish.
| What to consider | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Use in savoury baking | Choose a savoury cake or tart recipe that explains how to add the sardines. | I want to use a tin from the cupboard in a baked mixture, without treating it as a dessert ingredient. Around 44% of consumers put savoury uses first. |
| Texture and seasoning | Compare fillets, boneless sardines, sardines in water and varieties in oil; decide whether to drain the oil or add it to the mixture. | If I want the fish evenly distributed in a tart, bones and existing flavours influence my choice. Around 33% of consumers prioritise control over texture and seasoning. |
| Storage | Check the date, make sure the tin is in good condition and follow the product’s storage instructions after opening. | If I keep tins in the cupboard, I want to use the tin and any leftovers in line with the label. This is the priority for around 23% of consumers. |
A tin containing olives, tomato or other flavourings can change the taste of a cake or tart if you were planning to season it yourself.
Choose these flavours if they’re part of your recipe. Otherwise, compare the ingredients with those of sardines in water or plain sardines in oil.
An opened tin doesn’t keep in the same way as an unopened one. For the products featured, Saupiquet and Auchan recommend refrigerating the sardines and consuming them within two days of opening.
Check the instructions on your tin and choose a quantity that suits your recipe, or plan to use up any leftovers within the stated time.
If you don’t have a plan for using the leftovers, a tin that’s too large could lead to waste.
A recall applies to specific products, not necessarily every tin from a brand. RappelConso has published a notice for a Carrefour Classic’ variety of sardines in extra virgin olive oil due to an undeclared crustacean allergen.
If your tin might be affected, check its identifying details, including the batch number and date, against the RappelConso notice before eating it.
Saupiquet offers 100 g tins of sardine fillets in olive oil. They’re worth considering if you’d rather add fillets than whole sardines to your recipe.
The range includes sardines in oil and a boneless, skinless variety in water, used in one of the brand’s tart recipes.
Auchan offers a 135 g tin of sardines in extra virgin olive oil.
E.Leclerc offers, among other products, a 135 g tin of sardines in olive oil.
Carrefour offers a 135 g tin of sardines in extra virgin olive oil.
These tins offer different options for savoury cakes and tarts: fillets, boneless sardines, sardines in oil and a tomato variety. Choose according to the texture and ingredients your recipe calls for.
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Fillets make it easy to distribute the sardines through a savoury mixture. This tin contains sardines in olive oil and comes in a 115/81 g size. Check the oil quantity on the label if you need to measure it precisely for your recipe.
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A variety to consider if you want to add sardines without removing the central bone. This product is listed as being in water and comes in a 98 g size. Check that its seasoning works with your savoury tart or cake.
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For a savoury cake or tart recipe that can use sardines in oil, or where you can drain them first. The tin is listed as 135 g. Check for bones before adding the sardines if you want an even texture.
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A 125 g tin to consider for a savoury recipe where you can adjust the amount of fat. Check the type of oil on the label and the shape of the sardines before adding them to the mixture.
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Worth considering for a savoury dish that already includes tomato. The stated size is 112/81 g. As the sauce adds its own flavour, adjust the other ingredients in your recipe accordingly.
The sardine recipes mentioned here are savoury, not sweet. Connétable uses them in a goat’s cheese and herb cake and a leek tart, so start with a savoury recipe designed for this fish.
Boneless sardines make it easier to distribute the fish if you want an even filling. Sardines in oil can work too, as long as you check their form and decide what to do with the oil based on your recipe.
Follow the time limit on your tin and store the sardines as instructed. For the Saupiquet and Auchan varieties featured here, the brands recommend refrigeration and consumption within two days of opening.
Compare the identifying details on your tin with those in the notice published by RappelConso, rather than relying on the brand name alone. The recall for a Carrefour Classic’ variety due to an undeclared crustacean allergen applied to specifically identified products. If your tin matches, follow the instructions in the notice.