Roland Foods Flat Anchovy Fillets Packed in Olive Oil, Wild Caught from Morocco, 14 OZ Can (Pack of 2)

If you use a lot of anchovies, this big can is a great buy. And they do not seem to go bad after opening, even if left out of the refrigerator for months. If stored in the fridge, the oil solidifies to the consistency of soft butter (which helps prevent spills), but it melts again very fast on the counter. I have noticed a lot of mixed reviews, ranging from great to terrible - that kind of swing seems hard to explain, but may be due to multiple packing plants around the world? I ordered these first in January, 2020, and they are perfect - the cans were filled to the very top with oil, but the fish fillets were ALSO to the very top of the oil - no wasted space at all. And all the fillets were solid - as good or better than any I have ever gotten in the small cans from local markets. My original can is marked "Product of Peru" on the bottom. Note that if you select the 14 Ounce (pack of 2), the cans look EXACTLY like what I have, but if you select either of the other two options, the pictures look different, and the cans show "Product of Spain" on the front. I have not purchased those, so my review only applies to the 14 oz (pack of 2). I just ordered them again (October, 2020), and I will update this review when I see how they compare with the last order. UPDATE Oct, 2020: I just received my second order, and they are identical to the first - cans are marked Product of Peru, and the fillets are firm, flavorful, and fill the can. Although the oil is not EVOO, it is totally clear and has absolutely no off-taste at all - more like just a neutral vegetable oil. I can also confirm that this is not some old-stock, as the top is stamped "Best before 8/13/2021". Both cans also came with the tight-fitting plastic lids. So I have no idea what it means in the text to say they were caught from Morocco, nor do I have any idea why some folks are complaining about too much oil or mushy anchovies. Maybe it makes a difference where you live and what warehouse fill the order? I am in the Southwest USA. For me, both orders have been 100% 5 STAR perfect!

After doing lots of research, I chose to buy these tins of anchovies. They are delicious and well-preserved and are good value for the money. The tins are gigantic and both of them had the plastic lids mentioned by others. The "best by" date on mine is 4/13/21, about 11 months from now. I was concerned because of reviews mentioning that people had gotten cans of "mush." Thankfully, mine did not! I did some research, and discovered that canned anchovies are "semi-conserved" by use of salt and olive oil. They are not sterilized by cooking as are most other canned foods, so they must be stored at 60 degrees or lower even though the can is still unopened. If they have turned to mush or the can is "puffy" looking, that means they have not been properly stored or transported. There is a non-harmful bacteria that survives in the can that can cause this, but it is not supposed to be harmful. Heat will hasten the growth of this bacteria. So this is why the shelf-life is not so long for canned anchovies. In our home, "under 60 degrees" means they are going into the refrigerator, both unopened and opened cans. The can I opened had been refrigerated overnight. The olive oil was clear, not cloudy, even after refrigeration. Not sure why that is. Perhaps the salt has an effect of inhibiting the oil from solidifying in the same way that it lowers the temperature at which water freezes? There is a lot of olive oil inside (which makes sense so that the anchovies remain submerged in oil so as not to be exposed to air). Another reviewer commented on the 14 oz. weight including the olive oil. I don't think it's unfair to include the weight of the olive oil as it's probably more expensive than the anchovies. It is, after all, being sold as "anchovies in olive oil," but that reviewer makes a good point not to expect 14 oz. of drained anchovies as you may be getting substantially less than that. Nonetheless, this is a lot of anchovies! I plan to consume these over a period of several weeks, so I transferred the anchovies (without the oil in which they were packed) to a sealed plastic container and covered them with my own extra virgin olive oil (making sure the anchovies are fully covered by oil and were not exposed to air for very long). I chose these anchovies rather than some more expensive ones in glass jars, but will probably be tempted to try some other brands eventually. However, for now, I'm quite happy with these!

Pretty good and consistent quality considering its price point but several orders over the past 18 months have found anchovies being delivered from Amazon being up to a year or more beyond the expiration or "sell by" date resulting in cans which, when opened, are found to be badly deteriorated. Roland is partly responsible given that they show the expiration date on the can with an easily understood numeric code for month and date, i.e, 05 23 for May 23rd, but sadly use a letter code for the year. Hence, I just received two 14 oz cans with code U 05 23 with the U equating to 2020 or May 23, 2020. That's some seriously expired product and, with the potential of less than ideal warehouse storage at 60 degrees or below as stipulated on the can in addition to rotating stock, I've received anchovies which were literally mush when they were opened. As usual, Amazon is great in crediting back the purchase. In some cases the product is edible even though it may be a bit beyond the expire date but not up to expected freshness. Storage at cool temps combined with careful attention at the Amazon warehouse for stock rotation can help alleviate this issue.

These anchovy are simply excellent. The anchovies are very well cleaned. Bones are a rarity, some thing you don’t find from other packing companies .The flavor is excellent. I wanted to introduce more fish into my diet. Anchovies and sardines are an excellent addition to a your diet without the heavier metals and other pollutants found in the flesh of larger fish particularly farm finished. Anchovies are high in omega-3 and are very good for blood circulation. But this Companies packing is simply excellent. The full body anchovies lend them selves to countless uses and salads and crackers or Crusty bread with olives and a nice cheese and of course they’re delicious on pizza. These rather large 14 ounce cans come with a plastic lid to reseal the can after opening. For me keeping them in a dark cool pantry shelf is just about all you need for a few days or more. If you want to preserve them longer keep them under the plastic lid for perhaps weeks in the refrigerator. The oil will harden, but just take a few out and leave them at room temperature for a short time and they’ll be delicious. Please don’t nuke them and spoil their nutritional value. Make sure the anchovies are always below the oil. Or just transfer to a very airtight container. Sure they are a saltytreat, but somewhere potato chips and olives. If you don’t like that kind of thing or are on a very salt restrictive diet then they may not be for you. I’ve been Restricting my intake of salt due to water retention. So I just don’t eat that many that often. But by growing a taste for them you’ll find they become a wonderful savory treat with many different foods. And Rowlands large pack flat anchovies that are so well cleaned and prepared they are some of the best at a good value. I only wish they would pack them with capers and sun-dried tomatoes in Olive oil as well. Maybe they do and Amazon just doesn’t carry them.

This is my second order. The first order was excellent quality. Excellent texture and flavor, but... This order must either be old or was mishandled. The first thing I noticed is the oil it was packed in was very thick - like crisco shortening. The main issue is the anchovies are very firm and “dry”. Not tender at all. The label clearly warns to keep these cool, so I’m guessing these were subjected to heat, or as I said, just old. I put them in the fridge as soon as I got them, but unfortunately didn’t realize they were bad until after the return period expired. Stuck with 28 oz of inedible product. Would not buy again. It broke my heart to throw out these big cans. I’ll buy smaller cans from the grocery store where at least I know I can bring them back.

Got tired of buying those tiny cans or the small bottles (when I could find them). These were one of the best, weirdest gifts I've ever given myself. And they are really, really delicious anchovies (some people wouldn't use those two words together ... you love 'em or you don't). It's a huge can and the fish come out easily. What I did NOT realize is that they are supposed to be stored at 60º or under, which means that once I've opened a can, I keep them in the fridge. Which means the olive oil solidifies a bit, so they need warm-up time when I'm going to slather a pizza. The can opens easily, but be aware: IT IS FILLED TO THE BRIM with olive oil, so open it over the sink or a container. It's got a strong, well-fitting plastic lid to use once you've peeled back the can lid. After I've opened a can, I store it in one of the plastic entree dishes from Chinese takeout, because the olive oil, spillage. You've been warned. :D And let me add this: I was watching Iron Chef America the other night and Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian was opening a can of this very brand (the can is a very distinctive color and design) so, that was cool. GREAT ANCHOVY TASTE, LOTS AND LOTS OF THEM, WATCH OUT FOR OIL SPILLAGE. Five stars.

Excellent.

TBH, I bought these to substitute for Spanish Cantabrian Anchovies on tapas. Huge price difference, aprox $3/oz for Spanish, less than $1/oz for these. How different can they be, I thought? It turns out night and day difference. While these are perfectly adequate anchovies, they are about the same as american supermarket anchovies, while the true Cantabrian ones are rich/buttery/salty umami hit. Well, you get what you pay for. That being said, here are the positives: -Came Well Packed, with a bit of insulation around the tims to guard from thermal shocks (important, as these need to keep cool!) -Yes, came in a pack of two, with a very nice plastic lid to cover each tin after opening -Well formed whole anchovy filets, no mush, no broken filets. -Delicious oil in the can, don't know (or care) if it's EVOO, but made a great salad dressing. Overall, a good purchase, but these anchovies are better off as a supporting character - pizza, salad, etc - than the "star of the show" sitting on top of a ripe tomato for tapas, for instance. Update after second subscription delivery : Price has gone up + both tins arrived filled with mush. Order canceled and one star deleted. This is only worth it if you want large quantity of anchovy paste.