Trying Polar Sardines! [Tinned Fish Review] 

Right... the warning could be because of the fact these are smoked, which on paper could leave some not-so-healthy compounds in there, just like any other smoked food, but nothing to be worried if you only eat them now and again. A bit of lemon juice may help enjoying such oily fish, buy toning down the fishy side and cutting through the fatty edge of the fish. Moot point: brisling sardines are not sardines proper, but a different species, also called sprats. These are traditional all along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea (Northern Germany, Northern Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) and this kind of neatly packed round flat can is typical of the way they're canned in Estonia and Latvia. The see-though plastic lid, though, is slightly porous, leaving more oxygen in than a traditional metal lid, which shortens the shelf life a little bit (which may account for the metallic smell you're mentioning which could be a slight oxidation of fatty acids... here, again, a few drops of lemon juice will help toning it down).

SO Glad I found you! I've JUST stared my Sardine Journey. Got my first Cans yesterday... Thank you!!!

My favorite Brisling sardines are King Oscar and Polar, both packed in olive oil. I have been buying these plastic-lidded Polars for two years now because they are 1. really good, and 2. inexpensive at Walmart. Now to the comparison. The size of these sardines are good, about the same size as KO in the Red wrapper. The KO sardines are fished in Norwegian waters and the Polars from the Baltic Sea. The two sardines have slight differences: the Baltic sardines have a crunchy ray in the tail fin. This is very noticeable but I don't mind it al all. The Polar sardines are smoked longer with a stronger, sharper-flavored wood. This imparts the "metallic" smell that you notice, it's not from the tin: it's from the smoke. Polar sardines are more firm-bodied than KO, probably from the longer smoking time. Polar canned products are BPA free: they just don't advertise it (you can confirm this yourself with a trip to the Polar website). The California (state) Proposition 65 warning is for toxic chemicals that may be measured in California labs however the amount of these chemicals has been determined to be too small to be a risk for human health. This is why is why the FDA considers these fish are safe to eat. I contacted CA Prop. 65 myself and they will not identify which chemicals they warn about by law. I suspect that they found harmless traces of chemicals that came from the Baltic Sea itself. Incidentally, the CA Prop 65 warning is not mandated to appear on any product. This is purely voluntary. There are many canned fish products sold by other brands that may have been contacted by CA Prop 65 but they haven't placed the warning label on their products. If you would like to read a copy of my e-mail from CA Prop 65 I will be happy to post it here as a reply. Dude, take this from an old-timer who has eaten sardines packed in olive oil since I was a kid in the 1960's. Open the sardine container partially and stand it up in the sink to drain off the oil before eating. Five minutes of drain time usually works fine.

I really like these polar sardines. Pretty strong smokiness but I find them to be good quality and a really good value

Good Eating! Some of the best Sardines I have Eatten in a long time.

Interesting review. Thanks.

I eat this all the time on avocado toast or on jasmin rice with sundried tomatoes. So yummy!!

Swear your editing kills me 😂☠️😭

Hello Jon! how have you been doing my friend? I am not sure if you remember me but i have commented on a video or 2 of yours from about a couple of months ago and i just wanna say that your videos always make my day! as a fellow sardine eater myself, these polar sardines were actually one of the 1st ever cans i have ever tried and i then became obsessed with eating sardines! They have helped me lost weight that i did not need lul! I am looking forward to more of your awesome well put videos. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day! HUGS AND LOVE

Great video

Liked and subbed. Love these sardines, so delicious.

Hey Jon! I’m a new fan. You’re funny!

I really like the Polar brislings. They have good flavor and a firm texture.

I like these! I just find I need to be in the mood for something smoked, as smoking their products is really big with Polar!

Didn't like these when I was new to Deen land and tinned fish. Tried them again a while later and they were actually enjoyable.

ate these . i enjoyed the tail :)

I found a can of sardines in my cupboard the other day (still fresh) and you're right about the whole texture thing. I could have used some cracked pepper Triscuits but had none on hand. ( ._.)

Our America food chain & suppliers has become quite awful nowadays. Im glad this is one item that's not. 👍🏽

I’ve been eating a lot of Brunswick gourmet wild-caught lightly smoked brisling sardines in evoo. They’re packed in the same round cans as the Polar, with the clear lids. I don’t see any warnings anywhere. I do drain the oil & give it to my dogs. Check them out!

Please review Nuri canned sardines.

To me these are really smoky tasting, which is good or bad depending how you like smoked taste… for me great when I’m in the right mood for them!

Congrats on the 100!!

Do you prefer Salt water/Brine or Oil though?????

I think two sardines per cracker would work better - nice job though!

Oh wow… isn’t it weird that your curiosity made you eat that one half of a small sardine, and now, just because of that… you’re a dead man walking?! Lol! Just joking! I think it would take a whole lot of eating over a long period of time before would be dangerous! Lol! Those are good! I just have to be in the mood for smoked when I eat them! :0)

This guy is not Matt Carlson.

I thought you’re here to review this thing. Too much talking 😡😡😡