Nuri Spiced Sardines in Olive Oil

Since 1920, Nuri sardines have been canned by hand at the Pinhais cannery in Matosinhos, Portugal, using recipes and equipment almost unchanged a century on. Each morning, the fish are bought fresh from the local market and tinned the same day. The sardines are cooked, hand packed in olive oil with chilli, cucumber and carrot, seasoned with cloves, black pepper and bay leaf, then sealed. The heat is gentle rather than fierce, with the vegetables adding sweetness and freshness and the cloves and pepper a warm spice. A real classic.