Wordplay aside,

I found this item at a grocery chain local to Western Massachusetts called Big Y.

Noting the >250% markup on sockeye variety over the standard pink salmon, it's a bit of a hard sell...

But it did manage to snag my curiosity. Guilty as charged! Guess their daring marketing plan worked on me!

So. I waited about a week before actually trying it to give myself some time to kinda 'forget' how much more I paid for this one than the other one. I did have in mind that it was "more" but I had managed to divorce my thoughts from "how much" more. That said, I can state for the record, you can tell by the flavor that there's distinctly more going on here. I don't know if it's actually 2.5x better than the alternative, but it most certainly makes an impression: the flavor profile is broader and the texture is discernibly richer. The coloration is more pronounced as well.

This is some bougie fish, friends. But I think it is in fact worth more. Just, perhaps, not worth THAT much more. I believe that once the novelty wears off, it would be acceptable at no more than 1.5x to 1.75x markup.

Both are definitely nice enough that I enjoyed eating them STRAIGHT outta the can. Honestly I don't even know what further preparation I'd even bother with. When I want canned salmon, this hits the spot and scratches the itch. The sockeye version in particular, to be fair.

Made a nice lunch: sauteed some garlic and olive oil, added some butter beans and the squid, then topped with black pepper. Ate it with some olive bread.

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Found this at Wegmans the other day. A kit for about $7 with 3 small cans: mussels, sardines, and squid.

Didn't eat the sardines yet, but then mussels and squid were good. Mussels in a spiced sauce, nice and tender. Squid was in garlic and olive oil. A few chewy pieces in there, but really tasty. Added some beans to the squid and ate everything with homemade olive bread.

Had these Patagonia mackerels over some wheat crackers. Very nice subtle lemon taste. There were actual lemon slices inside the tin; not expecting that. Caper taste is not super strong. A little expensive but don't mind paying for sustainable seafood.

They have a whole range of herring fillets, just look at them!!! I've tried them but forgot to take pictures, but I plan to again in the future and I'll share them then. The smoked ones are great but the ones I REALLY LIKED were the ones in horseradish sauce, the mustard ones, and especially the tomato sauce ones. The pepper ones are good too and I wouldn't leave them out but they don't HIT quite like the saucy ones.

finding this little community awoke some cravings :3

Kippered Herring with some wannabe Sour Cream and Onion 'chips'. Awesome with a beer haha!

I know Brunswick doesn’t get much love. And I know they’re ackshually herring, not sardines. But these absolutely slap. They hit every note for me. Medium firm texture, very moist. Wonderful flavor with noticeable jalapeño notes and just the right hint of spice. The oil is delicious for dipping. Pretty much everything I could ask for in a deen. And super affordable, so give them a try!

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Found these at Wally World and decided to give them a go. They are fantastic! The smoke flavor is very mild and quite nice. The texture us softer than your usual herring; probably nearer a kipper, but I really enjoyed it. The oil is delicious for dipping toast. All and and it’s $1.64 for a 6oz tin! There are 3 flavors on the Wally site too. I will be stocking up.