CHALLENGE ONE: SARDINES
Here’s the thing about sardines: They taste like sardines.
Yes, they’re the posterchild for of-the-moment eating, low on the food chain (meaning better for you and the ocean), and loaded with supposed nutritional superpowers. Nutritionists are practically tripping over themselves to force them down our throats.
But let’s all be honest here — it takes some serious mental cheerleading to get excited about actually eating one of those little suckers. The oily little faces, sunken eyeballs, potentially-choke-worthy bones and fins for crying out loud. One ventured nibble and the mouth revolts, suggesting we go back to eating pork belly like normal people.
Which is exactly why I’m daring you to learn to love the slimy sardine. To embrace this most friendly of fish who never show up alone, but in groups of two, three or 10.
All the hip kids are doing it.
So here’s this week’s BiteThis Challenge: Embracing the sardine.
Lemme know your favorite recipes and tips for gulleting this critter whole, pureed, fried or straight up on a cracker. What about eating them fresh vs. the can? We’re all in this together.
Good job on the write-up was waiting for someone to give this details
Welcome to the Society.
OK, I bought some. They sit on the pantry shelf. I kept hearing “sardines, sardines” in my head, then I remembered they featured broadly in the play Noises Off.
@Lori–agreed, Bistro Jeanty has excellent sardines. Fresh, grilled, not fishy or salty.
It was an epiphany for me as I never knew them outside the can.
Think BJ is still serving them at Happy Hour.
Loved them!
At our shop last week, we served Sardines, Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, this slices of white onion, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and Fromage Blanc Sandwiches last week at the shop and can make them upon request~
Hello Sardine Lovers, Best bang for the buck canned “dines” trader joe’s brand in olive oil 2.29 a can very good, lowest in cholest.and sodium in a can in oil I’ve found………..cholest 15mg…..sodium 280mg per can all they need is crackers and me.
K & L Bistro in Sebastopol have and may still serve sardines on a salad. Delicious.
Try the Sardine Factory in Monterey. Excellent preparation.
My favorite, (my Dad introduced me to it), is sardines in oil, thinly sliced red onion and Port Salut cheese on pumpernikel bread. I add a little coarse sea salt and cracked pepper. This is a very hearty, very aromatic sandwich! I’ll bet it would be even better if the sardines were grilled…
Jackson’s, Bistro29 (sometimes).
I’m looking for more.
I’ve loved canned sardines since I was a kid. Any restaurants around here serving grilled sardines?
First of all canned sardines and fresh are as different as canned salmon and fresh. I can live without canned sardines, but the fresh fish are awfully good.
You don’t have to do much with them at all. The first time I cooked them myself I just marinated them in olive oil, garlic, and fennel, cooked them quickly on a very hot grill, and served with the same stuff in the marinate, plus some lemon juice and greens. They were amazing. Of course it didn’t hurt that I has just bought them at the local marche, and we were enjoying them from the deck of a rented villa overlooking the Mediterranean in France. But I’ve done that many times since, and they are almost as good enjoyed in Santa Rosa.
My favorite is an open faced sardine sandwich my mom used to make me when I was a kid: You take basic wheat bread, spread with lightly with yellow mustard and mayo, layer one level of bristling sardines (I like the “tiny tots” brand with the yellow wrapper, they are smaller and the bones are a lot less noticeable) then either american cheese like the Kraft Deluxe which has some cheddar in it or just straight cheddar, then broil it until the cheese melts and bubbles. DELICIOUS! Eat with knife and fork. One can makes about 3 sandwiches.
I have a winner for sardines, easy to love, from the Chocolate and Zucchini blog. Club sandwiches made with toasted sandwich bread spread thick with goat cheese, then a layer of tomato/onion reduction confit, then a layer of sardines (skinless boneless) that have been smashed up with a little mayo. Sweet, smoky, tangy, delicious.
I love, yes, love, sardines. In Portugal they grill them, yum. I like them best grilled and then squirt lemon juice on them accompanied by salad and French bread…on summer days, they’re lovely set over a salad of ripe tomatoes, red onion, a couple of basil leaves and a simple vinagrette…or I like them out of the can with boiled potatoes, because it reminds me of the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe at beaver’s house. A glass of white wine is always good with sardines. It’s easier to love them knowing that they really are good for you and were once happy little fish free in the ocean, not living a boring and stagnant fish farm.
I’ve been eating these critters all my life (at least 55 yrs. of it) and the best way is the simplest.
Crackers, sardines and a squirt of lemon. A glass of milk and Bon Appetite.
Even the kids love it. (ages 22,30,and32)
Bistro Jeanty in Yountville has had fresh grilled sardines on a mashed potato with a vinaigrette that was to die for. I’ve also had fresh prepared by Mark Franz of Farrallon that were delish. As for canned, they are awesome fried in a little olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and tossed with spaghettini and fresh parsley then topped with bread crumbs that have been toasted in a pan with a little butter.