Four tins of Breton sardines laid in fruity olive oil with slices of lemon that slowly candy inside the tin.
The lemon is put in as slices, not as juice, so the acidity arrives gradually over months rather than all at once. A tin opened a year later is noticeably rounder than a fresh one.
La Belle-Iloise has been canning at Quiberon, in Brittany, since 1932. The fish is prepared by hand within a day of landing.
Straight from the tin on bread, or with warm potatoes. Turn the tins over now and then in the cupboard so the oil keeps moving through the fish.
size — 115g