7 Things to Do with Canned Sardines

chow ^ | Chris Rochelle,

[JoeProBono]

The last sardine cannery in the United States closed its doors for good last month, due to "global competition, corporate consolidations and a general lack of appetite, at least in the United States." But not only is the small, oily, silvery fish inexpensive, easy to prepare, and loaded with things that are good for you, like Omega-3 fatty acids and calcium, it’s also one of the most sustainable fish around: The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program lists sardines as a "Best Choice" due to their abundance and high production rate. Usually canned sardines are thought of as a last resort for when you can’t be bothered to cook, but reconsider. Here are some recipes......

[JoeProBono]

1. Fisherman’s Eggs

Easy and very tasty. Try them for breakfast, or pair with a leafy salad for a quick supper.

Heat the oven to 500°F and preheat an ovenproof serving dish for five minutes. Place a can of sardines, a small sliced shallot, a few sprigs of chopped parsley, and two cloves of finely chopped garlic in the warm dish. Add some black pepper and put the dish back in the oven for six minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, break four eggs into a bowl, and pour them gently on top of the sardine mixture. Season with salt and pepper and put the dish back in the oven for seven minutes, until the egg whites are cooked but still jiggly. Remove the dish and let it sit for five minutes (the eggs keep on cooking even out of the oven). Serve with toast and hot sauce.

2. Smoked Sardine Pâté

Cottage cheese and yogurt give this healthy spread a tangy taste that complements the smoky flavor of the sardines. Put it on brown bread with pickles and watercress for a quick, tasty lunch. Serves 6. Recipe by Chris and Rachel Rochelle.

In a food processor combine two cans of smoked sardines, seven ounces of cottage cheese, seven ounces of Greek yogurt, and the juice of half a lemon and blend until just smooth. Serve on bread or crackers dusted with cayenne pepper.

3. Sardine Fritters in Lettuce Leaves with Sriracha-Soy Sauce

The fritters were based on a recipe from Mario Batali. The sauce was part of a recipe in Bon Appétit by Stuart Brioza. Perfect for a dinner with friends. Serves 4.

To make the sauce, whisk two tablespoons of Sriracha sauce, two tablespoons of soy sauce, and two tablespoons of fresh lime juice together in a small bowl. Select a handful of leaves from a head of butter lettuce; wash and dry them. To make the fritters, mix together two tins of sardines, two eggs, two cloves of finely chopped garlic, a chopped quarter-bunch of parsley, three-quarters of a cup of breadcrumbs, and two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Heat about an inch of vegetable oil in a large saucepan till it spits when you put a test crumb in. Make small balls (approximately 1 inch in diameter) of the sardine mixture and fry for three to four minutes until golden brown, turning them occasionally with tongs. Place the fritters on a plate with a kitchen towel underneath to absorb the oil. Serve in the lettuce leaves with the Sriracha-soy sauce drizzled on top and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

4. Sardine-Arugula Pizza

Delicious any time of the day; healthy, too. Serves 4. Recipe by Chris Rochelle.

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Roll out a disk of CHOW's Basic Pizza Dough (or use premade dough) on a flour-dusted baking tray and brush on a thin layer of Basic Pizza Sauce. On top place a large handful of arugula, half of a thinly sliced onion, two thinly sliced sweet peppers, two cloves of chopped garlic, and one drained can of sardines halved lengthwise. Bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and liberally apply crushed red pepper flakes.

5. Sardine Squares

Serve these little morsels with apéritifs or cocktails. Makes 16 squares. Recipe by Chris Rochelle.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Thaw one eight-ounce sheet of puff pastry. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan. Add half a finely diced onion and one crushed garlic clove and cook over low heat for five minutes, stirring until softened. Stir in three tablespoons of tomato purée, cook for a few minutes more, then remove from heat. Stir in one tablespoon of capers, three anchovies, and two chopped sardines. Roll out the thawed puff pastry and cut it into 16 little squares. Brush egg wash on each square. Place a tablespoon of the sardine mixture in the middle of each square and bake for 15 minutes. Garnish with quartered black olives.

6. Seanuts

Inspired by CHOW's Chile-Lime Peanuts. Try them for your next cocktail party. Makes 10 to 15 servings as a snack.

Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Toss together two cans of drained and chopped sardines, two pounds of peanuts, 20 unpeeled garlic cloves, six tablespoons of peanut oil, and four crushed arbol chiles until evenly coated. Spread the ingredients out on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast, shaking and stirring halfway through, until the nuts are toasted and beginning to crack open, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a large, heatproof bowl. Toss with three tablespoons of finely grated lime zest, four teaspoons of kosher salt, and four teaspoons of sugar and serve.

7. Sardine-Dill Fish Cakes

Serve as a light lunch or dinner with a salad. Makes 6 cakes. Recipe by Chris Rochelle.

Coarsely chop and boil two medium Yukon Gold potatoes until tender. Drain and mash the potatoes. Add two cans of drained and chopped sardines, one cup of chopped spring onions, a quarter-bunch of chopped fresh dill, two tablespoons of flour, two crushed garlic cloves, two tablespoons of grated lemon peel, and one cup of panko breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper, then mix in one beaten egg. Shape the mixture into 6 (3-inch) cakes. Coat with panko breadcrumbs. In a nonstick frying pan, add two tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the fish cakes about three at a time, turning them over until they're golden brown and crispy.

And see the Spring 2010 issue of Edible San Francisco for some nice recipes for grilling and curing fresh sardines.

See All 8 Recipes »

[Mortrey]

“In a food processor combine two cans of smoked sardines...”

Bass-O-Matic.

(I LOVE sardines, but this just made me...lose my appetite.)

[BenLurkin]

[DuncanWaring]

Ping.

[Ken522]

I always enjoy sardines straight from the can on some Ritz crackers - yum!! Following a recipe sounds like too much work.

[workerbee]

That’s how we used to eat them when I was a kid (early ‘70s).

Today, I can’t abide the thought.... but my dad, God bless him, age 82, still eats those things right outta the can.

[JoeProBono]

[AlexW]

“7 Things to Do with Canned Sardines”
___________________________________________
Funny...I just finished feeding a can of sardines to my young kittens, and got back to the computer to see this post.
Here in the Philippines, 155 gram cans of sardines in tomato sauce are very common and can be bought most anywhere.
While I use mostly dry dog/cat food, I give the sardines to the kittens that seem underweight.
I have never even tasted them, but the cats lovem.

[bigheadfred]

I make my fish cakes with my canned trout.

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

“Sardines is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue em, boil em, broil em, bake em, sautee em. There’s, um, sardine kebabs, sardine creole, sardine gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There’s pineapple sardine and lemon sardine, coconut sardine, pepper sardine, sardine soup, sardine stew, sardine salad, sardine and potatoes, sardine burger, sardine sandwich... That’s, that’s about it.”

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

“Sardines is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue em, boil em, broil em, bake em, sautee em. There’s, um, sardine kebabs, sardine creole, sardine gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There’s pineapple sardine and lemon sardine, coconut sardine, pepper sardine, sardine soup, sardine stew, sardine salad, sardine and potatoes, sardine burger, sardine sandwich... That’s, that’s about it.”

[Liberty Valance]

[shibumi]

Some of us prefer...

[Grams A]

I always enjoy sardines straight from the can on some Ritz crackers - yum!

My adoptive father who was born in 1913 and died in the 1980’s used to eat a can of them every night before he went to bed on Ritz crackers, no less. Even though it was many, many years ago I can still remember the smell them and still say - gross!!

[JoeProBono]

[taildragger]

Oh man, Eggs ( choline ) and Sardines, the same good Omega brain food in Salmon in one dish. Talk about a brain food Supercharging for Breakfast!

[Ditter]

#1. Feed them to the cat.

#2. Feed them to the cat.

#3. Feed them......... you get the picture. :(

[presently no screen name]

That’s the one I buy.

[JoeProBono]

[PistolPaknMama]

That’s, that’s about it

That's about gross.