King Oscar Sardines in Pure Spring Water: 15g Protein, Labelgrade B (76/100)
B 76 / 100 — A two-ingredient whole food: brisling sardines and water, nothing else. 15g of complete protein per can plus a rare nutritional bonus — 30% DV calcium from the soft, edible bones, the omega-3s, and the vitamin D and B12 that come standard in oily fish. The only knock is sodium, and even that is modest for canned seafood.
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King Oscar Sardines in Pure Spring Water give you 15 g of protein for 150 calories in one drained can (85 g; USDA FDC 2015414) — about 17.6 g of protein per 100 g — from an ingredient list two words long: brisling sardines, water. But the protein number undersells the can. Because brisling are eaten whole, soft skeleton included, one tin carries about 300 mg of calcium — 30% of the Daily Value, the kind of number you normally get from dairy, not fish. Most of the 10 g of fat is the sardines’ own omega-3 oil (EPA and DHA), and oily fish bring vitamin D and B12 along for free. The Labelgrade is B (76 / 100): clean, complete protein with a calcium-and-omega-3 bonus that almost no other shelf protein offers, held just short of an A by moderate sodium (200 mg, low for canned fish) and the zero fiber inherent to any animal food.
Why the B
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | B | 76 / 100 | 17.6 g per 100 g — solid for a whole canned food (not a concentrate). The 15 g per can clears the FDA “high in protein” bar, and it’s complete animal protein |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 80 / 100 | Two ingredients, sardines and water — no oil, no brine, no additives or preservatives. About as short as a packaged protein label gets |
| Saturated fat load | B | 77 / 100 | 3 g per can. Of the 10 g total fat, only that 3 g is saturated; the rest is the sardines’ omega-3-rich oil, which the score can’t credit but you should |
| Sodium load | B- | 72 / 100 | 200 mg per can — the one real ding, though it’s low for canned seafood. Water-packed, not brined, which is why the salt stays down |
| Sugar load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0 g sugar, 0 g carbs — perfect, and structural for plain fish |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0 g — unavoidable for any pure animal protein |
The honest read on the score: Labelgrade rewards protein density and penalizes low fiber and sodium the same way in every category. It has no column for calcium, omega-3s, vitamin D, or B12 — the four things that actually make a sardine special. Tuna would out-score these on protein density alone while delivering almost none of that micronutrient payload. So this is one of the cases where a flat B undersells the food: nothing here is wrong: the formula simply doesn’t measure what sardines are best at.
The calcium is the headline, not a footnote
Protein you can get anywhere — a chicken breast, a scoop of whey. What you can’t easily get from a protein source is calcium, and that’s where this can is genuinely unusual. The 300 mg per tin (30% DV) comes entirely from the bones, which brisling are small enough to render soft and edible in the can. Buy a boneless fillet of any fish and that calcium goes in the trash with the skeleton; eat a whole brisling and it goes into you. If you don’t drink milk or eat much dairy, a can of these does double duty in a way a tuna pouch or a protein shake simply can’t — protein and a meaningful share of your day’s calcium from one no-prep food.
The omega-3-and-mercury edge over tuna
The instinct is to compare sardines to canned tuna, since both are pantry fish in the same protein neighborhood. Tuna is leaner and a bit higher in protein per calorie — that part is true. But two things separate these sardines, and both come down to size. First, omega-3s: most of the 10 g of fat in this can is the sardines’ natural EPA and DHA, the marine fats tuna carries far less of. Second, mercury: brisling live a year or two near the bottom of the food chain, so they barely accumulate the heavy metals that build up in long-lived predators like albacore tuna. The practical upshot is that you can eat sardines often — for the omega-3s — without the accumulation worry that caps how much tuna is advisable. Against canned salmon (the other bone-in option), salmon edges ahead on protein and shares the bone calcium, but usually costs more for the privilege.
What the water pack actually buys you
The water-versus-olive-oil choice is the only real decision within the King Oscar line, and it’s a macro decision, not a quality one. This spring-water tin holds the fish in nothing but water, so the only fat in the can is the sardines’ own — all 10 g of it, omega-3-rich and nothing added. The olive-oil tins start from the same brisling and the same bone calcium, then pour culinary oil on top, which pushes the calories and fat per can higher. If you’re counting macros or want the cleanest possible fish flavor, water is the pick; if you want richness and don’t mind the extra calories, oil delivers that. Either way the protein and the 30% DV calcium come out the same — the medium is the variable.
Ingredients
Brisling sardines, water. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2015414 — a true two-ingredient food, with the second ingredient being water.)
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 can drained (85 g)
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 can drained (85 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 150 |
| Protein | 15g |
| Total Fat | 10g |
| Saturated Fat | 3g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 0g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 200mg |
| Cholesterol | 60.4mg |
| Calcium | 300mg |
| Iron | 1.08mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to King Oscar Sardines in Pure Spring Water (3.75 oz (106 g) can) · UPC 034800006320. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in King Oscar Sardines in Pure Spring Water?
15 g per 85 g (3 oz) drained serving — essentially one whole can (USDA FDC 2015414), or about 17.6 g per 100 g. That clears the FDA 'high in protein' threshold (30% of the 50 g Daily Value) and it's complete protein: every one of these tiny fish carries all nine essential amino acids.
Why is the calcium so high for a fish?
Because you eat the skeleton. Brisling are small enough that the spine and ribs go soft in the can and you swallow them without noticing — and bone is where calcium lives. One can delivers about 300 mg, 30% of the Daily Value. Boneless fillets (a tuna steak, a salmon portion) throw that bone away, which is why almost no other protein on the shelf gives you meaningful calcium.
Spring water vs olive oil — which King Oscar should I buy?
For macros, water. This pack is the leaner of the two: 150 calories and 10 g fat, where that fat is the sardines' own omega-3 oil and nothing added. King Oscar's olive-oil tins pour the oil's calories on top, typically landing higher per can. Water also lets the fish flavor read cleaner; oil reads richer. Same fish, same bone calcium either way — the only real difference is what's poured around it.
Do sardines actually have omega-3s, or is that marketing?
Real, and it's the reason they're an oily fish. Most of the 10 g of fat per can is the sardines' natural EPA and DHA, not saturated fat — only 3 g is saturated. Brisling sit near the bottom of the food chain and live a year or two, so they barely accumulate mercury, unlike tuna. That combination — high omega-3, low mercury — is rare and is the whole nutritional argument for eating small fish.
Are these keto- and carnivore-friendly?
Without an asterisk. 0 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 15 g protein and 10 g fat per can — net carbs are 0. The protein-to-fat ratio is close to ideal for keto, and a two-ingredient animal food fits paleo, Whole30, and carnivore protocols cleanly. Nothing here needs to be drained off or worked around.
How much sodium is in a can, and is that high?
200 mg per can — about 9% of the 2,300 mg daily limit. That is low for canned seafood, where brined products routinely run 300 mg and up. The reason is the pack: water, not brine. Salt isn't doing the preserving here, so they didn't need much of it. Reasonable even on a moderately sodium-aware diet.
What is 'brisling,' and why are the fish so small?
Brisling (also called sprat) is a small, young sardine caught in cold Norwegian waters — King Oscar's home fishery. They run smaller and more delicate than Pacific or Mediterranean sardines, so a tin holds many tiny whole fish rather than a few large ones. That small size is exactly what makes the bones soft enough to eat and keeps the mercury load near zero.