I try to eat at least 2 servings of fatty fish a week (1 serving = 4 ounces) to ensure I get enough omega-3 fats in my diet. Examples of fatty fish include salmon, Atlantic mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines, albacore tuna, anchovy, black cod. It’s important to eat a variety of different fish to avoid exposure to environmental toxins like mercury. In my quest for variety, one of the biggest challenges has been learning to like the more exotic tinned fish, for example: sardines.
Tinned fish have been en vogue for a few years now, and I remember watching Anthony Bourdain on No Reservations in 2008 eating “some of the finest, most delicious, and most expensive seafood in the world”– out of a can! Bourdain goes on to wax poetic about the beauty of eating expensive, gourmet seafood out of a can with a toothpick (which I can totally appreciate). You can watch a clip of Bourdain eating tinned seafood at Espinaler on the Travel Channel. Since then I’ve seen tinned seafood featured countless times in chef cookbooks. Just this month Gail Simmons wrote about eating tinned fish on a trip to Arcachon, a seaside town in southwestern France, for Food and Wine Magazine. Fish in a can is a cult classic that’s here to stay.
So, how to go about embracing the more briny, bony, pungent fishes that foodies and health gurus fetishize? Sardine Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette may be your easy intro to the world of exotic tinned seafood. I discovered this recipe by happy accident as I casually tossed a few tinned sardine fillets into a salad and watched as the skin and bones and flesh broke down completely, melting into the dressing and coating the salad leaves. Instead of chomping on freaky whole fish I was enjoying a satisfying next-level salad: perfectly balanced with savory, salty, smoky, tart flavors. I finally found a way to enjoy tinned sardines!
Sardine Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
Serves 2 as a meal
For the salad
- ½ a 5 ounce bag salad greens
- A couple small handfuls cherry tomatoes
- ½ a cucumber
- ¼ a red onion
- 1 tin sardines (about 4 ounces)
Vinaigrette
- 1 teaspoon capers
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Compose the salad
Prep the vegetables for the salad and combine them all in a large salad bowl, starting with the salad greens. Cut some of the tomatoes in half and leave the rest whole, adding to the bowl of salad greens. Slice the cucumber and red onion, adding to the salad. Drain the sardines and break them up with a fork, then toss them into the salad.
Make the vinaigrette
In a small bowl, whisk together the capers, mustard, white wine vinegar, and olive oil. Taste to check the flavor and add a touch more vinegar or olive oil to balance as needed. Pour over the salad and toss well to combine. Serve immediately.