O’Mer Squid Two-Ways

Double the Squid, Double the Good

Originally Published: Friday, August 9, 2024


Specs

Brand: O'Mer
Ingredient: Squid
Flavour: Various
Net Weight: 115 g
Product of Spain
$4 CAD

O'Mer Calamari in Marinara & Squid in Ink Double the fun!

O’Mer O My

Today’s review will feature two very different preparations of the ever-popular calamari from O’Mer. From my minimal research, it appears that O’mer is a house brand from the Canadian food importer/distributor Apex Trades and a part of their O’ Foods umbrella.

Repackaging foods from European producers for redistribution is a very common practice, but it does make researching the product much more difficult. The packaging states that the products are from Spain, but not much info about the manufacturer can be found… unless you’re weirdly obsessive about canned seafood.

On the back of most European-made products, there is something called a traceability code, which is basically a way for industry professionals, customs officials, and fish nerds to find the original manufacturer of a product. The code attached to these two tins (ES 12.00560/PO CE) indicates that the manufacturer is none other than Conservas Cerqueira, the manufacturer behind the brand Pay Pay for sale in Europe. Sure enough, I was able to find a full catalogue of their products and a description of their repackaging service for other brands on their website.

Conservas Cerqueira has been around since 1890, making conservas on the Galician Coast. I’ve never seen their house brand for sale in Canada, which makes O’Mer the best avenue for me to sample products from this century-old manufacturer.

All this preamble just to say that today’s featured products are Calamari in Marinara Sauce and Squid in Pieces in Squid Ink from O’Mer.

Squid-ly Double Feature

Opened tins of O'Mer brand squid on a plate with crackers. What a way to spend the afternoon.

Popping the lids of the two tins revealed a lovely range of hues, with the marinara sauce reflecting a deep golden amber and the ink sauce with a much darker burnt orange-brown. This was not my first squid in ink review, so the dark lump sauce was not an unfamiliar sight. I strongly urge any interested parties to not let the colour of the ink sauce dissuade from the experience of sampling the product, as it’s really one of those things that tastes way better than it looks.

Neither of the tins had a particularly strong scent to them, except for a light whiff of the sea. The smell of the ink sauce seemed to be a bit more noticeable, but only marginally.

Meritable Marinara

The Calamari in Marinara was my first victim. I stabbed a meaty piece of squid on my fork, making sure to scoop up some of the oily sauce with it and shoved it in my gaping maw. I gave the morsel a few quick gnashes with my incisors to break up the hefty chunk into more manageable pieces. The flesh fought back with a good amount of resistance and elasticity. The chewy squid was not tough to eat even though it came close to being rubbery.

The flavour of the squid itself was rather subtle, with a bit of ammonic funk. It was lightly salted and didn’t overstay its welcome. The bulk of the flavour came from the marinara sauce that marinated each morsel.

A piece of squid in marinara sauce on a cracker. That's a handsome lookin' bite.

The sauce had a velvety mouthfeel from the silky oil and was subtly salted, like the squid. There was a nice bit of umami from the tomatoes and spices, as well as a bit of heat that lingers for a split second. While not a tour de force of mind-blowing flavours, the sauce served the important duty of elevating each mouthful without overcompensating.

A little bit of salt goes a long way with this tin, which made it a great topping on a salty cracker or other savoury carb. In the end, it was a successful product that delivered on its promises; well executed, if a little ordinary.

Ink-pressive Ink Sauce

As a fan of squid ink, I decided to save the Squid in Pieces in Squid Ink tin for second. With eager anticipation I shovelled a spoonful of sauce and squid into my salivating cheeks and savoured the concoction on my palate.

The fleshy squid was much the same experience as its marinara cousin, with a satisfyingly chewy meatiness that added a nice texture to the experience. Much like its marinara cousin, the flesh was subtly seasoned and not overly flavourful on its own.

A piece of squid in ink sauce on a cracker. The inky cocoction looks a bit like Mole sauce.

When combined with the inky sauce, the experience became much more interesting. The sauce contained a high amount of glutamates that turned each spoonful into an umami bomb. The squid ink also created a creamy roux-y texture in the sauce, giving it more staying power on the palate. A tiny bit of acidity was present at the start of each bite, and quickly faded into a light heat accompanied by sharp allium. Overall, a lovely experience that could turn anyone into a die-hard fan of squid ink.

O’Mercy Me

I’ve buried the lede a little with this review in hiding the price of the tins till the very end. These tins from O’Mer come swinging in at a very competitive $4 CAD a tin when purchased at my local bodega. Moreover, I found prices for these products online starting at $2.50 CAD.

Are these tins yummy? Undoubtedly. The ink sauce is the tastier of the two but the marinara holds its own as a tasty product.

Half-eaten tins of squid on a plate with a few crackers. The aftermath.

Are these tins good value? You bet your bottom dollar, especially if you can find it for bottom dollar. The marinara is less favourable due to the proliferation of similar items in that sphere, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a squid in squid ink tin for as low a price as that. For these reasons, I’ll give the marinara no value stars since it feels comparable to similar products in the bracket, but I’ll give the ink sauce three stars, since it’s pretty much the only competitor in its bracket.

If you see these products on your local store shelves, I would highly recommend giving them a shot, especially if squid ink sauce is foreign to you.

Calamari in Marinara Sauce

Yum?
Yum
Value
☆☆☆

Squid in Pieces in Squid Ink

Yum?
Yum
Value
★★★