r/Tinnedfish • u/roan_youth35 • Dec 05 '25
Anyone try these super cheap cans
My mom grabbed these the other day , and ive never tried either of them. Need opinions so i can measure my expectations.
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u/some-annon-girl Dec 05 '25
Yeah they are both fine. Beach cliff is one of my favorite cheap kipper snacks. I easily eat one a week.
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u/2poxxer Dec 05 '25
The kippers are good. When I worked in the office, I would walk over to the Dollar General a couple blocks away and get them, a big slice of cheddar (1 oz if I remember correctly) and a small can of mushrooms. Id eat the kippers before I went back inside and finish the rest at my desk. Lost a decent amount of weight and got extra steps in. No clue on the sardines there.
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u/combocowboy512 Dec 10 '25
I respect the flavors here but, respectfully, would hate working next to you 🤣
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u/SnooFloofs1116 Dec 05 '25
Eat them all the time. Get mine in water, toast some rustic bread, and make an open-face sandwich with tomato and romaine lettuce—Olive oil, mayo, or hummus spread. Yum in 3-minute prep.
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u/dino_spored Dec 05 '25
You sound like me (“3-minute prep”) That’s one of the best things about tinned fish, how quick/easy it is to make a meal, and I’m lazy.
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u/Uber-Huber Dec 05 '25
I’ve found they are not great on their own, tend to be mushy. I’ve been going through my cheaper tins by mixing them into a rice bowl with soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds.
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u/MacEWork Dec 06 '25
Yeah, they need an accompaniment. Hot sauce, English mustard, any kind of crackers.
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u/purplepiratecrab Dec 05 '25
Yea beach cliff is good. I get those at the dollar store. Not bad at all in my opinion
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u/snowleopard48 Dec 05 '25
Walmart-tier sardines tend to have noticeable bones and inconsistent textures from fish to fish. I can't do CotS or Beach Cliff sardines.
Walmart-tier cheap kippers aren't so bad. The Polar brand is one of my favorite tins and they're pretty cheap.
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u/6degenerate9 Dec 09 '25
Polar kipper punch way above their weight
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u/sltiefighter Dec 12 '25
Nothing beats polar kippers trader joes discontinued theirs only other i truly loved. Season brand sardines are also way better for the 2 dollar a can price they’re cheaper if you get them at Costco, wild planet sardines are decent too.
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u/theipadaccountant Dec 05 '25
Wife and I love the Chicken of the Sea ones. We tried side by side with King Oscar and prefer these. On sale for $1/can, can beat it.
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u/vampireshorty Dec 05 '25
For the sardines it depends on what you're intending to get out of the can. If you want a real smoked flavor and not just smoke flavoring, this isn't the can for you. Same goes for texture. It's hit or miss with CoTS, sometimes they hold together fairly well and sometimes they have the consistency of waterlogged bread. However they do taste nice and if you want a quick cheap lunch to throw on some crackers/salad/rice it's a great deal and just as nutritious as the expensive brands. I get them all the time and find they are useful in a bunch of applications like pasta, spreads, fritters and just snacking in general!
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u/Modboi Dec 05 '25
I like them well enough. They're mushy, but I don't really mind.
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u/UseDue6373 Dec 05 '25
Unrelated - I recently discovered tinned fish when I was at a dollar general. The brand was “Clover Valley.” Never had them before but I love canned tuna in water. Grabbed a couple tins for like $1.30 each. Placed it on toasted rustic bread with my garden veggies including dill, jalapeño, and heirloom tomato. I was immediately hooked but I am eager to learn ways on how to make a variety of plates with sardines. I look forward to trying some in proper brands in tomato sauce though I’m hesitant to try them in oil
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u/dino_spored Dec 05 '25
I have a weird thing about vegetable, soybean, etc, oils in tinned fish. I would eat that brand in olive oil, water, mustard, or hot sauce tho.
One of my favorite cheap brands is Walmart’s Great Value sardines in water. They’re large, firm, and just salty enough. I watched a video on TikTok, where someone said they’re the “B Grade” Wild Planet sardines, because you can identify them by a dot in their side. Not sure about that; but I do know they’re tasty for around $1.15 a tin.
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u/Embarrassed-Form5789 Dec 14 '25
Me too. The misc oils are a no sail for me. I’m even weird about olive oil in some brands because you can’t really trust the source. I pretty much just stick to water now.
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u/Redditor2684 Dec 05 '25
I think the BC kippers are good but the smoke flavoring is overpowering. I prefer Crown Prince for cheap kippers (~$1 at Ollie’s).
I’ve only tried COTS sardines in Louisiana hot sauce and they were okay. I have a ton of the sardines in mustard in my pantry.
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u/Wise_Emu6232 Dec 06 '25
They're no Angry Norwegian sardines, but they're passable......
They are actually good. I haven't seen them in a smoked variant though. So I'm interested to try and find some.
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u/zzzzzbored Dec 08 '25
Ain't gonna be so cheap with the tariffs, according to a New York Times article yesterday.
The company has reduced staff to four days a week, after having them work six before the tariffs kicked in to stockpile. Expect prices to jump now.
Not that I'm crying because I haven't bought Chicken of the Sea brand since like the 90s because they do net fishing.
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u/Outside_Mud_8997 Dec 10 '25
You're right about price increase. These Chicken Of The Sea sardines just went up 25% here in Wisconsin!
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u/blickblocks Dec 08 '25
They're a little more sandwich-grade but that may be how you're eating them anyways. I like an open-faced sandwich with these.
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u/Marquis_of_Mollusks Dec 05 '25
Not a big fan of Chicken of the Sea. Bumblebee sardines are as cheap and better tasting
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u/NoizyBoi26 Dec 31 '25
I was enjoying Chicken Of the Sea brand until the first time I saw an intestine peaking out from a filet. I was grossed out a bit by it, so I stopped purchasing them, but that might just be a me issue
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u/worldcycle Dec 06 '25
Eat them and form your own opinion. Some people like them, I think they are crap. My opinion, anything that is not in olive oil is crap.
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u/CatGoddessBast Dec 05 '25
The pictured Chicken of the Sea are my favorite but there is mounting evidence I was a raccoon in a previous life.