The Sardine Flavors of King Oscar! | Canned Fish Files Ep. 44

King Oscar's got like a million ways to put a sprat in a can. Here are three more. I know, I know. "What about jalapeno?" "What about Spicy Cracked Pepper?" "Tiny Tots are the best." Just relax, we'll get to them!
Thanks to Outside PR for providing the deenz!
On test:
King Oscar Sardines in EVOO with Lemon
King Oscar Sardines in EVOO with White Wine Vinegar & Capers
King Oscar Sardines in Dijon Mustard

[@NachozMan]

They sent you a little fishy care package? That's sick! Support from the Sardine King Himself haha

[@popsmorris5887]

I usually get the King Oscar in EVOO. I like a splash of vinegar with them. My grandfather ate them that way.

[@albertapeet]

I like the “Gold Seal” brand sardines in water. I drain the water and squirt some malt vinegar and a bit of salt and they are excellent . Also “Millionairs club “ sardines in sweet Chile sauce are a delight.

[@ck-eb3vu]

From what I understand millionaires are only sold in Canada and France? I’d like to send Matthew the millionaire collection. I think the millionaires are best that I’ve had so far

[@NorthHollywood]

@@ck-eb3vu Im from Canada and I get Millionaires but I cant find King Oscars. Millionaires are great!

[@whatatypicaltime2412]

New subscriber. Thank you youtube algorithm. Been binge watching all your canned fish videos the last day, lol. They are great. Would love to see you try Surströmming. As a swede, it would be interesting. But please eat it as it is supposed. Opened in a plastic bag and away from where you later sit down and eat (the smell and avoid flies). And eat it with the guts and spine cleaned out (if they aren't already cleaned) with swedish hard flat bread that you smear butter on, sour cream, red onion, boiled slices of potato and some chives. It's a great combo! The acidic and salty taste from the fish goes really well with all the other stuff.

[@CannedFishFiles]

I'll try it eventually. I promise to prepare it as best as I can. I'm a quarter Swedish, so maybe the taste for it is in my blood! What's your favorite brand?

[@whatatypicaltime2412]

@@CannedFishFiles cool! Not really, I mostly eat Oskars Surströmming but I reckon most brands are good. The difference is that some brands have filé-versions and some only whole herrings, with gut and everything, so you have to rinse it yourself. And please, don't try the fish on its own and write it off. Its like equalient to eat a table spoon of fermented fish sauce on its own = yucky and not how its supposed to be consumed. Think of Surströmming as a condiment on a "sandwich" rather than "the main star" of a dish.

[@lyallfurphy]

@@whatatypicaltime2412so it’s the Vegemite of fish?

[@billymanners5752]

I am a die-hard king Oscar fan. And I have never seen white wine and capers it looks really good to me

[@kimracklely2689]

I order these from Amazon. This is my favorite flavor of KO. And all of my cans so far have had firm fish, not mushy at all.

[@billymanners5752]

@@kimracklely2689 I don't care for mushy sardines at all and I've gotten my share of them. . But never with King Oscar

[@billymanners5752]

And under your recommendation just now I just ordered a dozen cans of Amazon too

[@kimracklely2689]

@@billymanners5752 i hope you enjoy them. I really do like this flavor.

[@billymanners5752]

@@kimracklely2689 I'm truly looking forward to trying them Kim.

[@bradjones06]

KO Spanish Style in Chili Oil...next best thing to Nuri’s Long live the 👑

[@joshuaandrews3563]

Love king oscar. I haven't branched out a whole lot but I like king oscar the best when it comes to value.

[@phillipdodds7860]

This makes me want to eat sardines! LOL Good thing I have a can in the kitchen.

[@Silfverr]

Are you still eating deens? lol

[@lordgoatsnek3169]

Your encounter in the park was pretty cool to hear about. Would love to try those lemon KO's someday.

[@probegt75]

KO Mediterranean are my favorite

[@QantasNeverCrashed]

As both a eurorack and sardine enthusiast I shudder at you eating those deens on top of your rack, but now I want to try it.

[@deloreswilson1798]

Get a broom,we're at Matt's office.😆😆

[@ernest9606]

Sardines are best with mustard sauce

[@erinheuton8024]

love your videos! thank you :)

[@bonnieblack925]

They used to have black pepper or peppercorn flavor

[@dangalassoofficial]

I've tried the mackerel in lemon and olive oil.. I found the lemon flavor to be lacking.

[@dougm7111]

😮

[@wendyluckie4537]

Waaaay too pricey. Deelish but can’t afford now 🫤

[@porkfat5521]

Been eating sardines almost everyday since I found this channel. Just grab a tin or two and an orange..done

[@mirnasimmi4901]

An orange?

[@NorthHollywood]

@@mirnasimmi4901 gotta get that vitamin C

[@porkfat5521]

@@mirnasimmi4901 Sure, after savory flavors, sweet is good and citrus is exceptional and it's a low carb lunch that is nutritional.

[@mirnasimmi4901]

@@porkfat5521 so do you eat the orange only after you finish the dines? Or after with every dine you eat?

[@porkfat5521]

@@mirnasimmi4901 I eat the orange after, one of those big Navel oranges are a nice finsh to the meal.

[@dfgndfghdfghdfgh]

These send ins by the companies are picking up, you're gonna be a canned fish Instagram influencer in no time

[@CannedFishFiles]

Fizz, what I really want is the sponsored ad reads! I'll say anything about your sardines, I have no principles!!

[@dfgndfghdfghdfgh]

@@CannedFishFiles I sold my soul to Big Sardine and all I got was this lousy mansion

[@CannedFishFiles]

@@dfgndfghdfghdfgh In the pocket of Big Sardine, my house has 22 bedrooms and I still can't sleep at night!

[@DB-xo6xh]

@@CannedFishFiles 🤣

[@crazidirtbiker]

I think its so cool you do sardines and canned fish videos. Everybody has there niche lol. King Oscar is my go to brand but the olive oil and mediterranean are the only 2 I can find in my stores. I don't know If you ever did a video on the king Oscar brand kipper snacks smoked herring fillets but I actually like those even more. I always buy both and alternate between both day to day. If you haven't tried them you have too.

[@bonnieblack925]

The Jalapeno is best

[@SteveB357]

I'm a KO fan. These are new flavors to me. If you like jalapeno flavor, they have a good one.

[@Raysist]

Fishy people are all over the place and you're one of the fishiest.

[@dukeofsardines]

Hey Matthew, sardines got your hair looking healthy bro 😎🇺🇸

[@deenzmartin6695]

dem essential oils.

[@CannedFishFiles]

I think I'm gonna grow it until somebody stops me.

[@jessicaorozco1749]

@@CannedFishFiles I think it is working so far. You got that 70’s look. But as long as you like where you are and where you’re going. :)

[@alexjordan4590]

Big time! King Oscar 🤴. So far King Oscar is my favorite.

[@Salukicyclist]

I came to a revelation today. I picked up a can of Matiz Lemon Essence Sardines in Olive Oil. I wasn’t sure about lemon previously and shied away from them. But This can was nice. The lemon undertone tasted to me like it was from lemonzest more than from lemon oil. But that’s when the revelation happened. I squeezed about a quarter of a lemon on the deenz and sprinkled a little sea salt on them and BAM! … flavor explosion!!! I didn’t expect to like them so much but I did. The discovery was … Not that I found out how much i like lemon, I can squeeze lemon on any can of run of the mill deenz and find a quiet little happy place. Who’d a thought lemon and fish would go together??? Lol :)

[@AllofJudea]

Next add a little fresh pepper, your world will never be the same

[@kimmjohnston4744]

So, White Wine Vinegar and Capers with Olive Oil.......shake the hell out of that can before you open it. The resulting emulsion clings to the fish better.

[@billyannecrews6651]

Thanks for that tip!

[@1000cramster]

That’s great that you’re getting sardine PR sending you ‘denes. Moving up in the fish world! Enjoyed the review as always.

[@CannedFishFiles]

Yeah, I was happy to take them. I know I've been stubborn about accepting stuff sent in. In this case, I don't mind doing it because it's their job to send out samples, and I enthusiastic about doing KO videos because of their relative popularity.

[@davidcopple8071]

Been eating sardines, oysters, muscles etc. since I was around three years old. I'm 59 now. My best tip, not only for muscles and oysters, but for all canned fish and shellfish. Is to always drain your canned fish well regardless of what it's packed in. The grade of the packing medium, whether it be hot sauce, tomato sauce, mustard sauce, or olive oil , is never going to be top grade stuff. Of course the more you pay, the better you get. Is a general rule. But it's, in my experience, never top grade stuff. I always change it out for a better quality medium. Especially with olive oil. Splurge a little on your olive oil and buy a top shelf grade. It's going to have much more fruity flavors that, while subtle, enhance your medium priced sardines to a much higher level. It's night and day. Like going from chicken of the Sea sardines to Ramon Pena, or one of the other top brands. ( BTW, never buy chicken of the sea sardines 🤢 . ) You always want hand packed sardines if possible. If you open a can and all the sardines are stuck together in a homogeneous brick. You can pretty much bet they are a lower quality sardine and were mechanically packed. If I have to tear them up just to get them out of the tin. I usually toss them in the trash. Not worth the effort of chewing them. But give that a try and replace the medium whatever it is. Chances are. It's an upgrade and you will enjoy your sardines, oysters, muscles etc. so much more.

[@bennylevine387]

I'll eat a can of King Oscar like a mf. The more I get into sardines, they're not really in my top five anymore, but I'd still eat a can in a heartbeat.

[@Proudathiest1]

I couldn’t agree more . I used to love king Oscar then started dating a Filipino that got me into more of the Spanish sardines and now I find myself only buying them at special Asian stores and almost never get a can at the store anymore . Also a lot of the ones I eat now are in glass jars. It’s kinda nice . But I do like a good can don’t get me wrong

[@wenmockan]

What do you recommend?

[@bennylevine387]

@@wenmockan First thing is you're on the right track being on this guy's channel. Of anyone I've heard discuss this topic, his opinions are the most valid. I can just tell you what's in my pantry. I always keep a large stash of sardines. I'm looking at it right now. I have like 14 cans of Nuri spiced sardines in olive oil, a few with no spice, 7 cans of Flower spiced sardines in olive oil, 15 cans of Matiz small sardines with piquillo peppers, 3 cans of Santa Amaro, 10 cans of Tiny Tots, and like 15 Angelo Parodi in olive oil. A few cans of Bela too.

[@HUNTERS_CRACKPIPE]

​@bennylevine387 awesome! Thanks! Are most those cans around the $2.50 price range? Also, I know it's subjective, but what's your favorite?

[@Beaver-be8vk]

The mustard King Oscar are my favorite. Been eating them since I was a kid

[@joshuaandrews3563]

Perfect sardines for me is not mushy but firm.

[@tylersproul7117]

Man kos are a great balance of flavor to cost while also being available everywhere I've been.

[@CannedFishFiles]

Yeah, when you think about how many jillions of little fish they process and how consistent the product tends to be, it's pretty amazing.

[@britinmadrid]

Great video but remember that you can just throw the capers, lemon, whatnot into a standard can when you open them. That way you can get the fresh flavours on top of the fish which you prefer. I liked the tin I topped off with a little grated kumquat.

[@SPQR-Z]

All the King Oscar line are a pretty good everyday grocery store Sardine. My goto sardine, readily available and never a disappointment for the price. Then I have a tin from my Nuri stash and they’re so choice. How you going to keep them down on the farm after Nuri. Double the cost but dam it’s worth it

[@TheBeefSlayer]

You gotta heat the Dijon Mustard fish up!

[@pooperscooper8791]

The Mediterranean ones have always been my favorite

[@stevekemble8911]

"Fishy people are all over the place" - Truth brother.

[@jeremyrussell2171]

where is everybody having luck finding different brands? im just finding basic stuff here in oklahoma

[@CannedFishFiles]

I order a lot of this stuff. Even with pretty good selection locally there's a lot of stuff you'll never see.

[@aych131]

My favorites have always been the ones with green peppers or chili, plain in olive oil never do it for me

[@MrsJAZack]

I mix guldons brown mustard, sriracha sauce and worcestershire sauce plus a squirt of lemon juice and add a tsp of capers.. tiny capers to make my boring sardines a happy mouthful!

[@chazstraney3161]

Glad to see your take on the lemons - KOs are the easiest to find down here so I generally end up eating the med bois but the lemons are great as well. Cant wait to try those caper 'dines too. Thanks for the video dude!

[@cliffcox7643]

What about the Tiny Tots for KO and try the Nuri brand, which I think is the best.

[@tamiz8895]

The mustard isn’t very appetizing in appearance.

[@keeanmorishita8457]

@Experiencing Matthew Carlson you are smart to reference previous taste tests and provide clips. It makes me/us look back to your previous videos. I'd imagine most of us are not viewing your first video, in sequence, by chance. Keep referencing/editing in this way to reel all of us in. You have something going here bruh

[@ProCoRat]

I started eating 'dines and I asked all my friends if they liked them, and I was shocked that actually everyone I know loves sardines.

[@deweyd8210]

When he tosses a wrapper, and there’s no sound effect, I get just a short flash of disappointment. How have I gotten to this place?

[@ronaldschwigel2286]

55 years of eating sardines and kippers, why not i am a fisherman.

[@HUNTERS_CRACKPIPE]

Capers are judged by size, the bigger they are, the less flavorful they are. Hence, they are added to secondary products.

[@1984isnow]

i thought the mustard ones were gross, wanna try the white wine n capers though.

[@billyannecrews6651]

The capers one is soo good

[@sizzlelighterbrasstack]

crackin a tin and viewing this boss .. big up

[@the_dines-list]

Bro you either smoke so much weed or none but i love the mystery of not knowing. These vids are great🦾

[@Deathshack]

I’ve been eating sardines my entire life, good quality canned sardines should be firm with a nice shiny scales. The fish should have almost no fishy taste to it. Bad sardines have a strong fish taste. Also what it’s canned in makes the difference too. High quality will not have a major taste if it’s plane

[@inmyopinion_3672]

I just don't care for the tail fins in the KO. They do scratch my throat sometimes. Otherwise, love your vids.

[@dangerfeild4Life]

That’s the biggest caper since they stole the Mona Lisa

[@kev2k]

i started waiting for your vids to stockpile so i can binge them all in one night

[@willbean1573]

Love the lemon ones! So good with a little hot sauce. The mustard ones are pretty good too!

[@gemini...enoughsaid2596]

I like sardines but the tails must come off before I can eat them

[@SlowJabroni]

You're absolutely mastering those red giant plugins in this intro!

[@CannedFishFiles]

Yeah, I think when I saw your vhs effects I decided to go ahead and pull the trigger on red giant. I have Boris Continuum too, they just billed me again for the year, but I honestly gotta reassess what I need them for.

[@bradleyr34]

I’d like to try those lemon KOs, that I haven’t had, and compare them to the Matiz with Lemon Essence, that I have tried. I loved the Matiz Lemon ones. You’ve had both Matthew. Which do you prefer? I bought KOs with jalapeños today. Can’t wait to try them! I also bought and tried Pampa brand Giant Calamari. Good stuff! My wife even ate some and liked it.

[@CannedFishFiles]

My memory of the Matiz is so hazy, I haven't had them since the video. They are different species of fish, though. So it's less about the lemon and more about the fish itself. Not for nothing, I had the Bela lemons yesterday and the lemon flavor was pretty soft there too.

[@Californiansurfer]

Dude. I took your advise. I was in Japanese market in Gardena ca. I found some sardines from Japan they were ok... keep it real..

[@Coolsam2000]

I want that thumbnail for this video to be my wallpaper!

[@n1c98]

Lemon may be good. The mustard one is disgusting, I cant do it, if I remember correctly. Been sticking with the original extra virgin olive oil ones. I've been eating sardines for a while to avoid nitrates from lunch meats. Gotta say though, you've inspired me to eat these with sardine crackers

[@reverieasmr1444]

7:13 The Joy of Eating Sardines.

[@TheRydog61]

At least ur wearing safety glasses.

[@JM-bb8xi]

Sardines w/ mustard are one of my favorites, but honestly, just buy your own and put it on your favorites dines! Im just always disappointed with what comes in the tins :) unless the tin costs more than a whole bottle of decent mustard :P

[@erics6177]

King oscar has made the best mustard dine i've had yet! Dijon mustard isn't really spicy. Now id they made dines in extra hot brown mustard, id totally be game!

[@adventureguy4119]

That they where

[@davidyoung6295]

Love your reviews man! What are we even doing here ?? Keep ‘em coming !

[@CannedFishFiles]

Hey this is pretty much a haiku.

[@johnvanhorn770]

Could the capers have soaked up the white wine but could not soak up the oil in the other?

[@CannedFishFiles]

That's an interesting idea, maybe the vinegar kinda leaches the flavor from the capers.

[@markiangooley]

Poland means sprats and Morocco means actual sardines, I guess. Apparently one needs pickled sprats to make the Swedish recipe called Jansson’s Temptation, but I’ve never seen those for sale anywhere I’ve lived here in the USA. They’re just sprats packed in water or olive oil or some sauce.

[@deloreswilson1798]

I got wild caught, no flavor essence but fishy KO.Tails are stiff.Rigormortis.It's a four pack KO.🤔

[@WOMPITUS]

Lol I love the PBS jingle in the background

[@christoscanada572]

you are my favorite Fishluencer....keep it goin

[@CannedFishFiles]

Thank you!

[@greensombrero3641]

great review, thank you, Sardinia-san

[@KeineLust78]

I've never had any other seafood than maybe a generic whitefish. I am going to try Kind Oscars.

[@ezekielsanders3728]

Actually tried sardines for the first time about three days ago, that's what brought me to this video subject. Unfortunately, I was turned off the moment I open the can. Not what I was expecting. I expected something that looked like an anchovy or something. They were KO with olive oil. Had a couple black olive slices at the top which was nice. They actually tasted decent. Girlfriend wouldn't kiss me till I brush my teeth. These various canned Seafoods r a good video idea. Had canned smoked mussels from Dollar Tree.🤮

[@CannedFishFiles]

Congrats on trying the KOs. If you like the taste you can get over the look/texture/weirdsies. My wife hates the sardine smell, don't think she's gonna budge on that.

[@ShiftyMagoo76]

0:38 sound byte from Alfred Hitchcock…nice!

[@wildweedle6012]

You can't go wrong with the king.

[@jimibaked4235]

I love sea food as well highly nutritional easy to digest and for the body to absorb no man made chemical's involved I don't care about all the made up why fish is bad for u people so don't bother writing anything to do with pollution

[@ibjamnndazone1255]

Dig the 70's sardine porn music in the background.

[@deloreswilson1798]

Wow, bring out the chrystal plastic flutes..🤗

[@moStallion]

Add green onion, radish n small peppers, spinach arugala. More olive oil n squeeze lemon.

[@hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156]

So far what I've had from King Oscar has been very, very nice and tasty. I've just had some mediterranean sardines and I just really love those. They are 100% worth the price. King Oscar is just a reliable brand. It's gonna be tasty.

[@toddmussman8486]

What if you took the lemon flavor and used the oil to make a mustard vinaigrette?!? 💥

[@Rupert1213]

$2.39.. not even on sale nowadays. $3 MINIMUM, sad

[@JelqtronZero]

thank you for doing all of this

[@skowmi5681]

Looks like you’re eating prime cat food.

[@str4tegyy506]

When you find a youtuber you like and you watch all there videos and there's nothing left to watch. I stop myself binge watching the fish files because there only a few more videos left. More fish files. I subscribed because I love the way Matt enjoys his sardines .

[@fizixx]

"Let's get weird" 😄 👍

[@nwjavahead]

Some new KOs to try for sure!

[@deloreswilson1798]

I open my cans upside down.Keeps the fish neat and easier to extract when they're small.I love Dijon mustard.Grey Poupon is best.Vinegar and mustard breaks down protein, like ceviche.😀

[@jessiehughes9432]

K O is the best brand I think,lil expensive but worth it!! 🤴🥇

[@deenzmartin6695]

a little corporate deen action.

[@mtcondie]

Its seems like these sardines have a specific culinary niche. Maybe eating the sardines without pairing them to additional food like salad or a sandwich is an unfair review of the best use of the fish. I could be short sighted and miss the point of reviewing the sardines as a standalone entity.

[@deloreswilson1798]

Listen people,the Great Oz has spoken..🤔

[@Loud0glbc]

Trying to figure out the screen shot of Guy Fiety in the convertible with King Oscar and Matt ... then I see the “flavor town” reference. Well done , well done...

[@deloreswilson1798]

Love capers.Riesling?😗

[@deloreswilson1798]

Capers can get big.French ones are huge..🤔

[@zacharyriley7723]

Can't you just nip the tail off.

[@deloreswilson1798]

That's enough mustard for some ham too.🤔

[@DaveMcCabe]

Bring back the Tapatio sardines!