Do You Sardine? BELA-Olhão Sardine Contest!
December 7, 2008 by Bryon Powell · 14 Comments
Do you sardine? We do! While iRunFar.com is generally a meat-free publication, there are times when training or racing and available non-meat protein sources don’t mesh. In such situations, we hope to have a tin of BELA-Olhão sardines at the ready. When I came up a bit short on protein at the TransRockies Run, I was sure glad to have packed a couple emergency tins of BELA-Olhão sardines. These tasty, nutrition-packed, sustainably-caught little fish were a race saving recovery food as six days of racing up and down the Rocky Mountains took their toll on my body. Check out iRunFar’s review of BELA-Olhão sardines, which also discusses sardines more broadly.
Monday’s Winner: Solar Weasel
Alright, “So what about the contest?” you ask. My question to you is “Do you sardine?” Meaning have sardines come into your life and, if so, what kind of value did they create for you as a runner and an outdoor enthusiast? If you haven’t braved this bold taste yet, why not and what would compel you to try out these fancy little fishies? Write in and share your thoughts and you could be one of 5 daily winners!
We want to hear from you. Let us know why you love sardines or what would make you love them. At the end of each day from Monday through Thursday we will randomly select a winner who will receive a case (12 cans) of BELA-Olhão’s all-natural, sustainably caught sardines, including a can or two of each of the four flavors available: cayenne pepper, extra virgin olive oil, lemon and tomato. A grand prize winner will be selected on Friday. The grand prize includes the mixed case of cans plus a survival ditty bag, jam packed with gear to keep you running on the trails, as well as a t-shirt from BELA. Each winner will also receive a couple of trail recipes that allow you to whip up a gourmet, sardine cuisine while roughing it. The sooner you get your entry in the more chances you have to win, as non-winning entries from each day carry over into the following day’s drawing. [Sorry, only folks with US shipping addresses are eligible for this contest.]
Of course, we’d love to have the winners share their sardines experiences with us and let us know if they’re hooked on this tasty treat.
In addition to checking out the BELA-Olhão website for more information, stop by the BELA blog for interesting reads regarding sardines. BELA-Olhão must also be the only sardines producer with a Facebook page.
Related articles:
- Sardines – A Sustainable Meat for the Trailhead? This summer, I was given the opportunity to try BELA-Olhão sardines. While my first through was…. um, no, I’m vegetarian… two other points quickly came to mind. My first thought...
- Cyber Monday at iRunFar Not to be done by its curmudgeony older sibling, Black Friday, Cyber Monday demanded more iRunFar product giveaways AND the announcement of two more contests on iRunFar this month! Head...
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Filed under Contests, Other Gear ·
Bryon Powell is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar.com, which he founded five years ago. Also the author of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, he's quickly approaching 10 years as an ultrarunner and 20 years as a trail runner. These days he calls Park City, Utah and its trails home.
All posts by Bryon Powell
dood, seriously.. enough with the sardines. =)
i am a poor and underfed college student. i survive week to week on a diet of saltines and those tubs of yogurt you can get in bulk. when the going gets rough, i depend on handouts from running blogs on the internets. i think the remedy to my misfortune is a nice salty (or spicy!) can of fish. i would love to take them running with me, goat.
On behalf of Thomas S.:
I like the sardines because I’ve always hated seafood. In my attempts to be healthier and fully diversify my protein choices, I came across a couple options, beef jerky (not that sustainable and expensive), tuna, and sardines. Tuna does not work in a light pack after running or hiking for a couple hours. It does work on the gag reflex. I’ve never tried Bela and I like the simplicity of sardines as well as the flavor options (I’ll pretty much eat anything that is denoted as spicy and enjoy it). So sign me up!
Thanks.
-TS
The sardines make me laugh almost as much as SolarWeasels’ ummmm….
weasel!! Give the weasel some little smelly fish.
love the buggers. i’ve eaten them since i was a little kid. good for you and, man ‘o man the easiest way to clear a room… taste good, but they are odoriferous.
I've never tried BELA-Olhao brand so I am very eager to taste the difference between these and the most common one I see at TJs and the grocery store, Brunswick.
I love sardines b/c they're naturally salty, but not overwhelmingly so, like say anchovies). They're also a great natural source of calcium, which I don't ever get enough of since I am not a milk drinker or cheese lover.
Sardines are also super easy to prepare dishes with! I hardly ever eat them straight out of a can like some previous posters though. I prefer to add sardines as the main "meat" to my dishes. A staple one is this pasta toss.
Sardine Pasta Toss
Ingredients
8 oz. Pasta (half box). I like tri-color spiral, but penne and ziti also works well.
1 can sardines in water, strained**
1-2 tablespoons olive oil (if using sardines canned in oil, use 1 tbs or just the oil in the can)
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely diced
2 plum tomato(es), diced
1 can whole or sliced olives
chopped cilantro
salt & pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions
1. Cook pasta al dente.
2. Strain pasta, and do a quick rinse to stop cooking and lessen the stickiness of the pasta.
3. Heat oil, saute garlic in a medium pan or pot.
4. Allow garlic to cook very briefly. Do not let garlic turn brown.
5. Remove pan from heat.
6. Add pasta & toss to coat with garlic and oil.
7. Add sardines & toss.
8. Add tomatoes, olives, cilantro, salt and pepper & toss. (Optional: add canned beans of your choice)
Serves 2, more or less, depending on serving size. Can be served warm or cold.
If you plan to serve cold, make sure the oil coats the pasta, otherwise, it will all stick together. Reheats well in microwave too.
*I use rice pasta and it still works fine.
** You can substitute tofu, tuna or chicken, but I like sardines best for this dish! :)
I’ve been carrying sardines as emergency backcountry rations for 30+ years. I also try to consume 1-2 tins per week for the three or four weeks leading up to any 100 mile race. Sardines (preferably with mustard and crackers) and spinach (cooked and raw) are the ultimate mitochondrial support foods.
Regrettably, my wife despises sardines. So I get banished from the house whenever I eat them.
too good to pass up comment. great source snack for trails. don’t forget the pickle juice to chase. no cramps ever(iron gullet).
Thanks Tinger for the recipe. I’ve printed it out and can’t wait to try it. I guess I should have added earlier that my stomach doesn’t tolerate milk products, so I need calcium any way I can get it including sardines. I like them in mustard on saltines best. Oh, and I should add Kipper Snacks are pretty tasty too.
Goat we could use a can or 2 to with the 12 fishes on christmas eve Soooooo put me in the running for free can !
00xx
D (old trial goat)
I love eating sardines before a big run! They are the best. Glad to know that I’m not the only runner who uses them.
I have never tried sardines, but I am always willing to try something new. Especially when it is something that is easy to prepare and naturally salty. What more could you ask for!
mmmmm- sustainable meat! Add me to your contest!
White Trash
“Seafood for those on the run”. Great marketing angle. Just wish there were more customers. Of course after reading about all the trash on NF 50 SF course,maybe more customers could be a problem. Those tins would be messy. Peace. Al Glenn (owner Randall’s Seafood).