Les Mouettes d'Arvor Sardines with Chile

The sardines from Les Mouettes d’Arvor—the last standing fish cannery in Concarneau, Brittany—are fished seasonally by local fisherman along the northwestern coast of France. The fish are sustainably caught in the spring months, when the sardines are just the right size—not too fat and not too lean. Upon arrival to the factory, the freshly caught sardines are plunged into an icy bath of salt water, which preserves their firm flesh and makes them easier to scale.

After their ice bath, the fish are cleaned by hand and laid on racks to dry overnight. This process of drying helps maintain their shape and keeps their skin intact during the next step of the preserving process: frying. The sardines are fried in oil and then hand packed into tins with olive oil and spicy chile peppers, carrot, cloves and bay leaf. The chile peppers perfume the oil as the fish ages in the tin, resulting in a firm, meaty-yet-buttery sardine with a subtle, fiery flavor.