Sardine Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to sardines to make them taste better? ›

It is hard to beat fresh lemon juice squeezed over them, but a vinegar — white wine, rice wine or white distilled — is also good.

While canned sardines are a low-mercury fish choice, Manaker notes, "eating them frequently—as in more than four times a week—may be a concern, since you could potentially be exposed to too much [mercury]." While this shouldn't scare you (especially if you're consuming less than 8 ounces per week), it's important to ...

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.

Canned sardines are often a healthier choice than canned tuna, the experts note. While both are high in protein, sardines are more nutrient-dense. Sardines have a higher combined omega-3 (DHA and EPA) content than tuna fish, says Largeman-Roth. Sardines are also lower in mercury than tuna.

Sauté in oil, garlic, onions, and tomato with a bit of lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Gets rid of fishy smell and taste, and eat with a bowl of rice! Make a dip: Mash together sardines, mayo, chopped parsley, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

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).

Sardines are rich in vitamin D.

10 You can get vitamin D from food, sunlight, or supplementation, though food sources of vitamin D are few. Vitamin D plays a role in immunity, musculoskeletal health, brain health, and potentially cardiovascular health, explains Sarah Schlichter, RDN, registered dietitian nutritionist.

Also, Consumer Lab testing found that sardines were “very low in mercury” compared to albacore tuna levels, which came in 10 to 20 times higher. They note, however, that because of the arsenic levels in sardines, it's not recommended to eat more than one can per day.

Entrepreneur and VC Craig Cooper swears by eating 5 cans of sardines a day. (And loves a 22-minute power nap.) Being an entrepreneur means doing things differently: Creating new products and services. Finding new ways to solve old problems.

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.

How many times a week should you eat sardines? ›

The FDA recommends a weekly intake of two to three servings of sardines, or 8 to 12 ounces for adults and 4 to 6 ounces for children age 4 to 7.

The 3-day sardine challenge for weight loss is exactly what you think: Eat only sardines in oil for 72 hours. The clock starts when you eat your first bite of sardines. “Eat as many as you like, whenever you like. There are no limits and no hunger,” Dr. Box says.

There are a whole lot of options when it comes to sardines, but the best are packed in olive oil. Water-packed sardines just won't have the same rich flavor and can taste a bit water-logged. Oil, however, locks in the fish's flavor and keeps each sardine super-moist.

The most healthful choices on this list that are available canned include anchovies, Atlantic mackerel, clams, crab, oysters, sardines, shrimp, and trout. Canned seafood brands offer varying levels of testing to ensure lower mercury levels.

They are also a low-mercury fish, so it's safe to eat them if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Since sardines are highly perishable (meaning they go bad quickly), they are most often found canned.

Cook out two cloves of minced garlic in lots of olive oil (add the oil from the sardines later too), add some cherry tomatoes and a can of chickpeas, your tinned sardines and sprinkle paprika over to finish.

Whip up a sardine pasta sauce

To create this fishy sauce, heat the oil from a can of sardines in a pan. Add garlic and chili and cook until fragrant. Stir in tomato purée and sardines. Combine with cooked spaghetti and finish with freshly ground pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, and a couple of basil leaves.

Canned sardines can be eaten straight out of the can. My favorite is sardines in mustard on saltine crackers. Sardines in cans can be eaten straight from the can. It's a good idea to drain the liquid that comes with them.