Pollastrini Sardines in Tomato Sauce
 
Anzio, Italy. Since 1889. Pollastrini is the only Italian cannery still built entirely around Mediterranean sardines — and they do it the old way. Boats go out at night, lights draped over the water to draw the shoal in gently, no trawling, no stress on the fish. The same method the village has used for over a century, and it's why the sardines arrive at the cannery whole, intact, and calm.
Inside the tin: firm Sardines bathed in a rich tomato sauce finished with extra virgin olive oil and a touch of celery. The tomato brings a gentle sweetness and acidity that lifts the richness of the fish, while the olive oil rounds everything out with a smooth, savoury depth. It's coastal Italian cooking in a tin — the kind of thing you'd get spooned onto your plate at a seaside trattoria, not off a supermarket shelf.
 
Warm it through and spoon over toasted ciabatta with a scatter of sea salt and fresh basil, or toss through spaghetti with garlic and chilli for an easy midweek pasta that tastes like it took a lot more effort than it did.
A proper source of protein, Omega-3s and B12 — but you won't be thinking about any of that once you taste it.