We were recently talking to Beth Jones, over at Examiner.com about our love and almost obsession with Earth and Vine Provision’s Pineapple Sake Teriyaki Sauce, and thought we should spread some teriyaki love here as well. It’s easily our favorite product in the whole store for several reasons. It’s all natural, it’s made in small batches by the artisan cooking company Earth and Vine Provisions, and they use only fresh ingredients that they personally approve of. We once were on a waiting list to re-order their Strawberry Champagne Culinary Sauce, because they were’t happy with the current crop of strawberries. They waited until the perfect strawberries arrived. That screams quality to us! Plus, it’s easily the best tasting teriyaki sauce that we’ve ever had. It’s made of soy sauce, cane sugar, pineapples, apricot puree, Gekkeiken Sake, and garlic. There’s just enough sake to give it some depth and a mellow finish. Delicious!
It has a high sugar content, so it caramelizes easily. We like to marinate salmon and portobello mushrooms with it, and then grill it on low heat until done. You can brush more on if you like, but wait until almost finished to prevent the sugar from scorching. I admit there’s not much of a recipe to it! It’s just pour, marinate and grill.
Additionally, we use it as a dipping sauce for sushi – it’s non-traditional, but less sodium overall that straight soy sauce. We also pour it over stir fry, roasted vegetables, and noodles. Half of our family is vegetarian, so this is a top pick for all of us. The Pineapple Sake Teriyaki is also our best selling product. Some of our customers buy it 6 bottles at a time, just so they never run out. Yes, it really is that good.
Our favorite product in the store!
Bela Olhao Sardines have been one of our biggest sellers since we opened our doors. They are lightly smoked and available in four varieties including tomato, cayenne, lemon, and pure olive oil. Bela Ohlao are famous for their quality and flavor, and have developed quite a following of fans!
Best Tasting Sardine
Bela Olhao Sardines are wild caught in the clean waters off the coast of Portugal, well known for the best sardines in the world. The Bela Olhao fisherman manage to get the fish fully canned within 8 hours after they are caught! The result is the freshest tasting canned sardine you’ll find. These sardines are not “fishy” like other sardines, and have a remarkably tuna-like appearance and flavor. Bela sardines are also consistently rated best tasting by food experts and publications such as the New York Times. It’s amazing that they can keep their price point so low, and retail for just $2.50 per can!
Bela Olhao Oh So Healthy!
One of the reasons so many people buy Bela Olhao Sardines from us is because they are very healthy. They are very high in heart healthy nutrients such as omega-3 oils and CoQ10. Ounce for ounce, sardines provide more calcium and phosphorus than milk, more protein than steak, more potassium than bananas, and more iron than cooked spinach. Unlike many other types of fish, these sardines rank very low on the mercury scale so you can feel comfortable eating them every day if you wish.
How to Enjoy
Many people we know prefer to just lightly mash their sardine and spread it on a cracker. Some of our friends top theirs with finely diced tomatoes, onions, salt and pepper. Try broiling your sardines until crispy, and drizzle with a little lemon juice. Use anywhere you would add tuna, such as a salad or sandwich.
Now I must confess that I’ve never tried a sardine. The very idea of eating sardines has never appealed to me, and I’ve never even seen one out of the can. Until today. In the interest of a more accurate review, I bit the bullet and tried a sardine. I expected tiny little fish with a pungent flavor. What I found were plump, meaty fish so large that only 4 fit into the can. The flavor was surprisingly like tuna and not at all like I expected. As it turns out, “sardine” doesn’t necessarily refer to a specific fish, but can be used as a general lump term for many small fish. By law, in the US, any small small boned fish can be labeled a sardine. Bela Olhao Sardines, on the other hand, are a true sardine. Here is a picture of the can I opened for lunch today. They were fantastic!
