Jin’s Fried Fish – Hot and Spicy Flavor

Bitter: 🟡🟡○○○

Salty: 🟡🟡🟡○○

Sour/Tangy:🟡○○○○

Sweet: 🟡🟡○○○

Umami: 🟡🟡🟡🟡🟡

Heat: 🟡🟡○○○○○○○○

Quick Flavor Notes: Sardine/Tuna hybrid, Chili oil, umami

Recommended: Yes

Texture: Small fish that are meaty and chewy

Ingredients: Anchovy, Soybean oil, Natural and Artificial flavors, Chili powder 2%, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Yeast extract, Monosodium Glutamate, Sugar, Prickly Ash Powder, Spices, Salt, Paprika color, Disodium 5′-inosinate, Disosdium 5′-guanylate.

Something that’s surprised me as I’ve looked at the Google analytics for this site is that, despite being posted almost a full year ago, the review that gets the most hits and clicks is the one for Jin’s Roasted Tofu. Over time I’ve reviewed other spicy tofu-based snacks such as the Helen Ou Dried Tofu Snack and KachiKachi Sweet and Spicy Dried Tofu Skin but apparently my readers are very entranced by Jin. As far as I can tell Jin doesn’t make other spicy tofu flavors, but they do make a spicy konjac snack and, the subject of this review, a spicy fried fish snack that proclaims it’s both tasty and chewy. In the interest of giving my readers what they want, let’s dive in.

Jin’s Hot & Spicy Fried Fish jump straight in with anchovies as the first ingredient (as would be expected). I’m personally a fan of anchovies and enjoy them in Greek salads as well as used as an umami booster in various tomato sauces. These are coated in soybean oi, not my favorite but common enough in China. Next up are the “natural and artificial flavors” and that’s something that I can never get behind – just be fully descriptive and disclose what’s in your product. These are seasoned with chili powder, salt, sugar, unnamed spices, and prickly ash powder – which is another name for Sichuan peppercorn powder. Despite anchovies already being umami-bombs Jin’s ups the ante by including four different umami-boosters – yeast extract, MSG, and both disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate. The latter two are contributory umami boosters that multiply the effects of MSG.

My experience with fish or seafood based snacks has been mixed. I was a big fan of the Calbee Hot Garlic Shrimp Chips but the Thai Taro Hot Chili Flavored Fish Snack was a bit too fishy for my western palate. Thankfully Jin’s Fried Fish turns out to be much tastier and much less fishy than I expected. In fact, the flavor reminds me less of anchovy and more of canned sardines crossed with a bit of canned tuna. They have that rich oily flavor of canned sardines with the flavor you know is fish without a strong fishiness. At the same time there’s a bit of the metallic flavor that’s common in canned tuna and the chew is closer to that of meaty canned tuna than the softer texture of canned sardines. The box says that these are chewy and I find that to be true, though not tough, and still quite moist. The chili oil flavor comes through without covering up the flavor of the fish. The flavor of the Sichuan peppercorns (or prickly ash as it’s listed in the ingredients) is subtle but there is a bit of that citrusy cedary thing going on in the background. Heat level is one step above the mildest hot sauces, still very mild in the overall scheme of things but for a snack there’s a pleasant warmth that comes from these.

If you’re a fan of tinned fish, whether it be sardines, kippers, or even if you snack on anchovies this is something that you’ll definitely enjoy. I personally found them far more palatable than the Thai fish jerky I’d had before and while I doubt I’d reach for these over the various konjac snacks I’ve tried recently I still enjoyed these and will give them a recommendation, again, especially if you happen to like fish. While eating little fish out of a pouch may seem odd at first it’s not entirely different from canned fish that are common in the west as well.