Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

Posted by Robin Bellinger, March 18, 2008 at 1:00 PM

I know I’m not the only person frustrated by the breathless announcements of nutrition journalism and by the studies behind it, which are so often contradictory and can always be manipulated to show just about anything (as discussed in last week’s thread about corn syrup). I'd rather forget about it all in favor of Michael Pollan's elegant and manageable, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." But now that I’m pregnant, I find myself drawn again to this report and that study or those recommendations.

Fish interests me most, probably since the information about it is so confusing: it’s vital to human well-being/no, it’s full of mercury and other toxins. In fish’s plus column, one of the omega-3 fatty acids that makes its way up the food chain from seaweed to swimmers, DHA, is said to be crucial for baby’s brain and retina development, especially in the third trimester. (Hey fathead, did you know that the human brain is 60% fat?)

Because wild fish is so expensive, I didn’t eat a lot of fish before; it was a special treat. Now, though, in addition to taking a DHA supplement with my prenatal vitamin I’ve started seeking out the highest-reward, lowest-risk, best-value fish I can find, and you can guess where that leads me: sardines.

Sardines are high in DHA and calcium, low in mercury, never farmed (I think), and conveniently packed in inexpensive tins. Though I am happy to eat fresh sardines, I am ashamed to admit that canned sardines were one of my food phobias until I forced myself to start eating them last month. What can I say? They just freaked me out. A pregnant friend told me to try them on Triscuits with mustard, the way they’re served at the bar at Prune; I tried to make them into something like tuna salad, so I would be less aware of their animal-ness. Though these solutions are both okay, I don’t really get excited about eating them, and they leaving me feeling rather…oily.

Last summer in The Atlantic, Corby Kummer recommended several premium brands, which I suppose I should try. In the meantime (and in case those turn out to be super expensive), I need your help: please tell me how you like to eat sardines. Share your great ideas and expand lunchtime possibilities for me and pregnant women everywhere!

About the author: Robin Bellinger recently escaped a career in book publishing, which was cutting into her cooking time. Now she's a freelance editor and can bake bread on Tuesday afternoon if she feels like it. She lives in Midtown Manhattan with her husband and blogs about cooking and crafting at home*economics.

Robin’s Sad Sardine Salad

- 1 dose -

Ingredients

1 3.75-ounce can sardines packed in olive oil
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Pepper
Triscuits or other substantial crackers (I like Woven Wheats, the Triscuit imposter sold by Whole Foods)

Procedure

1. Drain the sardines. Cut them up into small flakes, like tuna salad. I know the backbones you may find look creepy, but don’t remove them: they are edible, high in calcium, and unnoticeable if you chop the fish well enough.

2. Stir in the mustard and mayonnaise, adding more or less according to taste. Season with freshly ground pepper and eat with crackers.

53 Comments | Tags: Eating for Two, fish, salads, sardines, seafood

53 Comments:

I can eat sardines straight out of the can!

...It's not just me, right?

Otherwise I usually eat them with rice and whatever I have lying around. I'm pretty sure this beats the sadness of your salad. -__-

roboppy at 1:12PM on 03/18/08

We Portuguese buy them fresh and grill them. Serve with olive oil garlic and parsley "gremolata" BTW Salt them well. Sea salt always works best. and toast some bread as well.

nelson5757 at 1:34PM on 03/18/08

As much as I love the idea of sardines, I cannot bring myself to eat them. They are too oily for me. I have enjoyed the occasional bowl of pasta with sardines, pasta con sarde.

Ed Levine at 1:36PM on 03/18/08

I love them on toast, with some roasted beets. I did a concoction a while back now that had some almond butter with it (uses olive oil..) - I blogged the recipe a while back, hopefully it will come through.

http://mattikaarts.com/blog/?p=220

Being from europe I used to eat sardines a heck of a lot, and never actually ate fresh ones until coming to the US.

mattwright at 1:36PM on 03/18/08

Hi Robin,

There's a Filipino brand of canned sardines that comes in tomato sauce. You can find this in any Asian market here in the states. I like to saute some onions, tomatoes, garlic, and chili flakes, then dump in the whole can of sardines. Then I serve the whole thing over rice. I actually blogged about this a couple weeks ago:

http://burntlumpia.typepad.com/burnt_lumpia/2008/03/red-horse-beer.html

Just skip all the beer talk in that post and scroll to the bottom for sardines!

Marvin at 1:42PM on 03/18/08

Roboppy, it's not just you. I eat sardines out of the can, too. One less bowl to wash, eh?

My favorite way to eat them is mixed with hot sauce (Huy Fong Sriracha, Cholula or Texas Pete) on a Carr's peppered water cracker. I sometimes add mayo to the sriracha, but otherwise, no mayo.

Susquehanna at 1:46PM on 03/18/08

Hard boil 2 eggs and mash together lightly with sardines (packed in olive oil but drained) & mayonaise. Spread on a fresh soft roll or a bagel. Top with a slice of tomato. Heaven.

hanak at 1:46PM on 03/18/08

I buy the sardines with tomato sauce from an asian grocery store. I toss slices of onions in a quick salt water bath, drain it and squeeze out the water and then add a bit white vinegar, olive oil, a little sugar, fresh black pepper and mix it up. At this point you can either add the sardines as well like a tuna salad and add to a baguette or toasted bread or just layer the sardines on the bread and smooch it a bit with a fork then add the onions with the olive oil vinegar juice on top! I think I've seen the sardine sandwich sold at a Banh Mi place in chinatown, but I've never had it.

mchow at 1:48PM on 03/18/08

Re the oily issue -- I buy them packed in water. Not only less oily, but less smelly and less fishy tasting.

My dad and I all love 'em on crackers with mustard, just as your friend suggested. We used to love to stand around the kitchen eating them in front of my mom, who finds them beyond revolting. We then got my son hooked when he was a wee tot. They're also good with cocktail sauce or Tapatio hot sauce. And I'll second the suggestion of putting them on rice.

My teenage son eats an entire can as an afterschool snack. No condiments, no crackers, no nada. Just the tin and a fork.

LoCo at 1:54PM on 03/18/08

I was going to ask... don't they also come packed in water? I remember eating sardines all the time as a kid and I don't remember them being oily or too fishy. The crunchy backbone was my favorite part!

My mom would heat them up in a pan, sprinkle with soy sauce, and serve it over hot rice. Yum.

threedogkitchen at 2:08PM on 03/18/08

Please take a look at this link:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/301342

Very comprehensive list of sardines, pricing and quality. I learned a lot from that link such as: "Sardines can be any one of about 20 types of small soft-boned saltwater fish. They are usually herring (Americas), pilcards (Medditerean), brisling (Norway), and sprat."

I've only had fresh; broiled and seasoned only with sea salt. Something about the amount of oils in the fish makes it taste almost fried if you do it right...I have to leave it to Mom, mine never turn out the same.

enjoy your 'dines.

wookie at 2:10PM on 03/18/08

My family used to make tea sandwiches using sardines. I forgot all about them until I read this post.
On a piece of toasted pumpernickel bread rub a piece of garlic on the bread to give it some taste.
Smear a bit of Mayo on the bread (I like it w/o the Mayo if the Sardines are oily)
Place a few pieces of fish on the bread and top with sliced or fork mashed hard boiled egg.
Combo sounds funny now that I'm resiting it, but the taste is delic.

My family is Russian, sardines are somewhat of a staple. If you have a Russian or Polish Deli in your area you are sure to find canned sardines in many varieties and pretty reasonable prices.

allakarasik at 2:59PM on 03/18/08

Years ago when I worked for the Post Office, I had a seafood distributor on my route. He generously gave me an opened sample case of canned Sardines with Hot Sauce. I stood at the time clock during punch out to hand them out to my fellow workers. Hardly a non-Asian was interested in the freebie. That night I opened up a can and had it for dinner with plain white rice. It was delish. The next day I was asked by almost everyone who took a can home if I had any more.

makepono at 3:06PM on 03/18/08

I can eat them straight out of the can, but I like them on toasted wheat bread.

misswills at 3:15PM on 03/18/08

Oh man, memories of childhood. My mom would buy sardines in tomato sauce from asian markets, heat it up and pour on rice. Mash up and proceed to eat with sliced cucumbers on side. Soooo goood. Also good sandwiched between a french loaf. Yum.

chlamers at 3:33PM on 03/18/08

It seems many of us, even us non-pregnant types, are thinking (nay obsessing) over sardines lately. Maybe we're all a little deficient in DHA and Calcium. If you're looking for a good recipe for a fresh sardine sandwich, try mine! http://foodwoolf.blogspot.com/2008/03/why-rule-number-10-applies.html
Happy eating,
--Brooke

Foodwoolf at 4:10PM on 03/18/08

with ramen. Yeah, i know...

sweetieBird at 4:41PM on 03/18/08

My wife found out yesterday--completely randomly, out of the blue--that her mother loves sardine and butter sandwiches.

KevinFinnerty at 4:46PM on 03/18/08

You're absolutely right, it's SO confusing trying to figure out how much and what kind of fish to eat. Salmon is safe sometimes, is the skin?

I like them on saltines, but I've never tried it with mustard. I'm interested in those sardines packed in tomato sauce!

myrnie_twin at 4:49PM on 03/18/08

On thin-crust pizza with roasted garlic, Parmesan, pizza sauce and some spinach.....mmmm...

COWABUNGA TMNT!

hungrychristel at 5:00PM on 03/18/08

Squeeze of lemon juice and tad of olive oil (unless packed in oil) on top of toasted bread. Or add in a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich instead of the beef or pork.

bipolarbear at 5:02PM on 03/18/08

Sorry, only way I know is on rye bread with mustard. That's the way my granddaddy ate 'em, and it's how I'll be eating them this weekend!

onalark at 5:58PM on 03/18/08

I eat them with cottage cheese! I could also see them in a salad: greens, sardines, a plop of cottage cheese, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or mustard vinaigrette...yum!

Mia Rose at 6:07PM on 03/18/08

Sardines and sliced (or chopped) onions with mayo on white bread!
My mother used to eat them and I got hooked as a kid. Eat 'em out
of the can unless you're in a fancy mood. And, try the REALLY
cheap ones like the Alshark (Moroccan) brand... about 79 - 99 cents at stores like Kalustyans here in NYC. They have 'em in either spicy
tomato & olive oil or regular olive oil...

sobnyc at 6:29PM on 03/18/08

nelson5757 has got it. When we finally visited Portugal, I couldn't wait to try grilled sardines. Boy, were they an eye-opener compared to the tiny, oily, canned ones. And dirt cheap in a restaurant. They were grilled, and had a lot of salt on them but absolutely mind-blowing. Never again with the nasty, tiny, packed-in-oil canned ones.

TikiPundit at 8:23PM on 03/18/08

robin,
it's your pregnant chef-reader again...i, too, have picked up the tinned ones at the market, but i can't buy them! i've gotten fresh ones through my fish purveyor. grilled with aioli on crusty bread is my favorite way to have them. i also made sort of a flat bread pizza with arugula, ricotta and sardines (and another version with boquerones & cherry tomatoes). boquerones are an excellent option for "safe" fish that you can buy canned. hope you're doing well;i'm finally losing the morning sickness.

dmarina at 10:44PM on 03/18/08

With cream cheese on pumpernickel bread

izzy's mama at 11:08PM on 03/18/08

I love them in a pasta dish I make with canned sardines, raisins, pine nuts, fresh or sun-dried tomatoes, sauteed garlic, onions, and spinach. It's quick, simple, and really, really good.

threeForks at 11:51PM on 03/18/08

I used to serve with drinks, before a dinner party, Canapes Basque aux Sardines. It is from Simone Beck's book Simca's Cuisine (after her books with Julia Child). It's a mixture of sardines, butter, wine vinegar, mustard, a fair amount of tarragon and parsley, and pepper spread on good bread. This was always very well received my notes say. You could play around with the proportions and find something that would be palatable to you. I noticed that mustard, vinegar, butter are mentioned above in various combinations. Oh, and I always blotted the little things - a lot!

islandexile at 3:01AM on 03/19/08

I love pasta with tinned sardines, capers and lemon zest.

thebasilqueen at 3:08AM on 03/19/08

Wow, thank you for all these responses! This will keep me busy and full.

Robin Bellinger at 9:07AM on 03/19/08

I really like canned sardines and I always buy them packed in water. They don't taste oily then, just pleasantly moist.

sherijo at 9:42AM on 03/19/08

Hi Robin! My favorite way to eat tinned sardines is Prune-style, with triscuits, really sharp Dijon and cornichons, but I also love linguine con sarde (my version is here). For fresh sardines, I recently made a dish were I briefly roasted them on top of some roasted fingerlings, serving them on a bed of arugula, with sherry vinegar and crushed almonds on top (recipe here). Good luck!

Jennifer Hess at 10:29AM on 03/19/08

...aaaaand I apparently screwed up my links. Whoops.

http://www.lastnightsdinner.net/2007/10/03/recipe-redux-linguine-con-sarde/

http://www.lastnightsdinner.net/2008/03/07/a-simple-affair/

Jennifer Hess at 10:32AM on 03/19/08

I love them plain. You could try the sardines in tomato sauce. Maybe you have to grow up on them to love them truly.

JudyH at 11:07AM on 03/19/08

I'm seconding Marvin's comment (and not just because I read his blog)! As a kid, my Filipina mother would saute some onions and add it to the tomato-sauced sardines, and serve it over a bed of rice with Filipino spinach on the side. It was heaven!

And not only can you find canned, tomato-sauced sardines in an Asian grocer, but there's also a similar Mexican version from Chicken of the Sea. I found this version next to the other canned fishes at my local Safeway grocery store.

Lorena at 1:37PM on 03/19/08

I like King Oscars' Balsamic Vinaigrette sardines right out of the can or in a salad.

chita44 at 4:19PM on 03/19/08

This is a favorite:
Broiled Sardines with Mustard-Shallot Crumbs

schnitzel at 10:14AM on 03/22/08

My grandfather invented sardines. As a young grocery delivery boy with a bicycle, he went over on the ferry to Norway from Newcastle-on-Tyne in the North of England where he lived to find new markets, and saw the Norwegians were canning fish. He bought the rights to do the same, came back to England and launched Skipper Sardines. The round-cornered flat can was opened with a key attached to its underside. It was wrapped in paper illustrated with the picture of a bearded sailor in a yellow sou'wester that's become an iconic poster. The French sued him in court for using the word 'sardine' which they said was theirs. Since it doesn't describe a species of fish, my grandfather lost the case and had to change the name of his canned fish to "bristling".
They were our regular Sunday night supper, after a heavy roast meat lunch with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy. We squashed them with the back of a fork into thick slices of hot buttered brown toast, squeezed some lemon juice over and several good grinds of black pepper. Wonderful! eatwashington.com

eatWashington at 10:19AM on 03/24/08

Hi Robin

This is a devious recipe from a book I wrote called The Healthy Lunchbox designed to lull unsuspecting children into eating sardines. Maybe it would help you too?

Just-like-tuna paté
Enough to fill 2 large wholemeal baps, 4 wholemeal rolls or 3 granary or wholemeal sandwiches
1 can of sardines in sunflower or olive oil
75g/3oz Quark or low fat curd cheese
Grated rind of half a lemon
1 tbsp chopped chives
Freshly ground black pepper
Drain the sardines, split them lengthways and remove the backbone. (Yes, I know it’s healthy but there’s nothing more offputting to kids than coming across crunchy bits of bone) Put the sardines in a blender with the Quark, lemon rind and chives. Whizz, taste and season with pepper.
* you can of course make this by hand but the extra smooth texture you get from blitzing the mix makes it somehow less sardiney.

http://thefrugalcook.blogspot.com

frugalcook at 10:55AM on 03/24/08

This vision brings tears to my eyes - Daddy and I would sit on the back porch (Mother would not allow sardines in the house) and smash sardines on Saltine crackers. I was about 5 and none of my siblings would touch them. Just me and my Dad. I hadn't thought about that until I read this piece today. I can hardly wait to get a can, sit on the back porch and think of my Dad, long gone, but those sardines were only thing that was "just us". We liked "Kipper snacks" the best but forget mayo and mustard. Thanks for the memory!!

Phyllis Frank at 11:20AM on 03/24/08

Oh, wow!!! Such good eats. I drain 'em (Packed in oil or water) on a paper towel then slather up a couple of slices of bread wirh mayo, slice up a little onion and pile it all into a sandwich. Don't even have to slice or mush up the sardines. yum

yoyo1198 at 12:21PM on 03/24/08

@eatWashington: Not to endorse the evil WTO, but you grandfather would have prevailed today with a sardine labeling case, as bristling (sprattus sprattus) is now considered one of twenty-one fish species that are permitted to be labled and sold as a "sardine" per the WTO Codex Alimentarius.

Um, Peru won a huge sardine labeling case a few years ago. I learned about the current regulations then.

Yay for all sardines!

Susquehanna at 12:37PM on 03/24/08

I can eat them out of can, but that's me. Here's a good way to tart them up:
http://badhomecooking.typepad.com/bad_home_cooking/2007/04/how_to_avoid_br.html
Which I did at Pessach last year.
Good luck. And don't overthink what you can or can not eat whilst pregnant. I craved tekka maki (tuna roll sushi) when I was pregnant with my first....ate it all the time, in defiance of the Parenting Police. The now 11-year-old is tall, smart and healthy. And loves sushi.

Bad Home Cook at 3:40PM on 03/24/08

Try Sultan brand sardines in chili oil from Morroco. Yellow box. They are great and would probably go well with pasta and just use the oil on the pasta as well. Maybe add some capers, green onions or how about some lightly sauteed kale........? And how about some toasted old baguette just smashed up in there?

robincat at 5:13PM on 03/24/08

re: sardines and rice -- yes! must be cos i'm half filipina? salad of choice to accompany is red onion/juice ripe tomatoes/coriander and a sharp vinaigrette.

my parents retired to live in st jean de luz and every time i visit them i stock up on their sardines from this WONDERFUL shop: http://www.labelleiloise.fr/

in fact, my ma sent me a dozen tins for my birthday!

the other way i like tinned sardines is in on toast with plenty of mayo and sliced tomatoes.

if i get fresh i make them in escabeche OR grilled -- too too yum.

astarteny at 9:07AM on 03/25/08

I just ate my first can of sardines. These were packed in water. Quite tasty. I ate them plain right out of the can with a little pepper on top. Thanks for the sardine tips. They are an excellent source of protein.

vickith at 3:24PM on 03/26/08

Try getting a tin of the smaller sized variety and using them instead of anchovies in a puttanesca sauce. I cut them in half lengthwise rather than chop them.

If you ever have a chance to try Venetian sarde in saor, do it!

zenduck at 5:40PM on 03/26/08

As suggested above, buy sardines packed in water. Drain well, mash and spritz with balsamic vinegar and malt vinegar to taste, add a scant amount of mayonnaise, if you like a creamy spread or omit. Fold in a tablespoon of chopped, drained and rinsed, capers and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Spread on hot, buttered rye toast. This sandwich is quite palatable, even delicious. This is a variant of the French Canadian "sardines on toast.

The sardines won't be oily, 'fishy'. Buy the cheap brand of sardines in spring water and visit a dollar or discount store to buy capers. The ones from Spain seem the cheapest. I think this sardine approach is good on all counts. Do try to enjoy....

Raki5 at 10:53PM on 03/29/08

I, too eat them out of a can. I prefer the ones packed in mustard sauce, as the mustard hides a bit of the fishy taste, but also buy the water-packed and add my own mustard. I just smash a few onto wheat bread or a bagel. Eating them on bread also makes them more palatable for me. Eating them with hard-boiled eggs sounds like a good idea, too...

foodwriter97426 at 4:06PM on 04/14/08

guess what I make a living out of them. I do product development for a certain brand in asia. But eversince I started working on it, I stopped eating them at home. C'mon give me a break, they're everywhere at work. =) I want to eat something else. lol.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with fried sardines but they're great on toasts and on rice as well. One can eat it right off the can or bottle (yes, there are bottled sardines). But for the tomoto sauce based sardines, I'd rather heat them first and add some lemon or a bit of soy sauce.

jobelle at 11:34PM on 05/06/08

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