Where to find large fresh sardines

June 2, 2018 2:53 PM

I've eaten grilled sardines at street fairs (e.g. Portugal Day in Newark) that were noticeably bigger than the ~6-7-inch variety I've found at international markets. Were they really sardines? Or does sardine mean something different in that cuisine?

Grilled sardines are wildly popular during Portugal Day and I'm sure the world over. But they're bigger fish than I've been able to find.

posted by LonnieK to Food & Drink (3 answers total)

‘Sardine’ does in fact mean lots of different fishes:

One criterion suggests fish shorter in length than 15 cm (6 in) are sardines, and larger fish are pilchards.[6] The FAO/WHO Codex standard for canned sardines cites 21 species that may be classed as sardines;[

So maybe look for stuff marketed as Pilchards?
posted by SaltySalticid at 3:17 PM on June 2, 2018 [3 favorites]

I bought this type of sardine for grilling for a few years at Whole Foods. I've found that here in NYC, lots of fancy food stores with good fish counters stock them. I don't have a specific answer for you, but look for good grocery stores with big fish counters.
posted by soy_renfield at 10:14 PM on June 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

I remember seeing south american sardines being sold here, which were a bit larger. I haven't seen them for a while, since the market is filled with the regular and smaller sardines from ours and Spanish fleets.
posted by lmfsilva at 6:52 AM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]