Easy Pan Fried Sardine Salad Recipe | Wicked Spatula (2024)

FAQs

Do sardines need to be gutted before cooking? ›

If you are cooking them whole as in the photo, you do not need to gut them. Just rub off the scales with a cloth or paper towel, then wash and pat dry.

You can eat them right out of the can, top them with onions or peppers, or add condiments such as mustard, mayo, or hot sauce. Usually, the heads have been removed, but you'll be eating the skin and bones. In fact, that's where some health benefits lie.

Instead of using cracked black pepper, I recommend turning to a Hot Smoked Paprika or Cayenne Pepper to season oily fish like sardines. This recipe also uses spicy breadcrumbs and a cayenne-spiked mayonnaise to introduce a bit more heat and texture into a quick and absolutely delicious mid-week meal.

The best way to eat tinned sardines? Tinned sardines mashed on toast with black pepper and chopped herbs is a fail-safe. Drained if it's sardines in olive oil or with the tomato and other sauces. Or sardines with scrambled eggs and chopped tomatoes (on toast again).

While you can safely eat the bones of canned or pressure-cooked sardines, you'll still be able to detect them — not so much in taste, but definitely in texture.

To check if the sardines are cooked, press the flesh gently and it should come away from the bones easily.

Rinse off excess salt.

If you can't find a brand that has a “No Salt Added” version, look for sardines that are packed in spring water. Then, rinsing the sardines may help to reduce some of the salt content. Just empty the can into a colander and rinse with cold water, shaking it and turning the sardines as you rinse.

Manaker notes that recommended seafood intake is 8 to 12 ounces per week (depending on your age and individual factors). If you are consuming a small portion of canned sardines daily and are within this suggested consumption range per week, there shouldn't be cause for concern.

Is it safe to eat sardines every day? Eating fish like sardines is an important part of a healthy diet, but as with any food, moderation is key. The FDA recommends eating two to three servings of sardines per week.

What drink pairs well with sardines? ›

Adam Petronzio, wine director at Oceana in New York City, says, “I'm a little old school and typically pair sardines with a white wine, but I also really like pairing it with still and sparkling rosés.

Wash the tomatoes and cut into slices. Spoon the sardines onto the toast and place the sliced tomatoes on top. Can be served immediately or after warming under the grill.

And let's not forget the whole sardines in olive oil with roasted red and green peppers and cilantro pesto on pão de centeio – a type of Portuguese rye bread, delicious with a Poças Special Reserve Tawny.

Best recipes to make with your sardines

Classically, sardines can be enjoyed with a cracker, fork, and maybe a dash of hot sauce or lemon juice.

Sardines, very oily little fish, really love a lot of acid. It is hard to beat fresh lemon juice squeezed over them, but a vinegar — white wine, rice wine or white distilled — is also good. To give you a sense of how much to use, I often douse them in my choice of acid, almost as if I were treating them like escabeche.

Since olive oil is higher in omega-3 than other oils, sardines in olive oil contain more omega-3 than sardines in water; however, the sardines in water are still the better option with lower amounts of cholesterol and fat.

The oil in a can of tuna, salmon, or sardines will taste like tuna, salmon, or sardines, respectively. Strain the oil from these canned fish into a separate jar for storage in the fridge, or use it right away. Just don't pour it down the drain -– not when you could be making even better food instead.