If you’re not a fan of sardines, these recipes are for you! The dishes taste delicious—and you don’t even know that they contain sardines. Why make an effort to eat sardines? Because they’re loaded with good stuff, including omega-3 fatty acids—without the toxins that larger fish often have (see Why Sardines Are So Healthy for more health benefits).
Here, three easy recipes….
Garlic-infused marinara sauce with sardines makes a great sauce for linguine or other pasta.
¼ pound whole-wheat linguine (fresh or dried)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 cup jarred marinara sauce (I like Classico Marinara)
2 3-to-4-ounce cans boneless, skinless sardines packed in oil, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add the linguine, and boil two to three minutes for fresh linguine or eight minutes for dried.
While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add the marinara sauce, and warm for one to two minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat, and add the sardines. Cut them into inch-long pieces with the edge of a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the pasta is ready, drain and add it to the skillet. Toss well. Sprinkle parsley and Parmesan cheese on top. Serves two.
Enjoy the hint of Indian spices with this simple curry that has a delicious sweet and tangy flavor.
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 crushed garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
2 Tablespoons apricot jam
1 cup coconut milk
2 3-to-4-ounce cans boneless, skinless sardines packed in oil, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Cooked rice (optional)
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and add the onion. Sauté for two minutes. Add the garlic, and sauté for three minutes. Stir in the curry powder for 30 seconds. Then add the jam, and stir until it melts. Add the coconut milk and sardines, breaking up the sardines into small pieces with the edge of a spoon.
Simmer gently for two to three minutes to warm the sardines. Serve over rice if desired. Serves two.
This is a new twist for seafood cakes usually made from crab or shrimp. The scallions, garlic and lemon blend deliciously with the potatoes and sardines. Chop all of the ingredients in a food processor to make these cakes easily. If the mixture is too wet, drain it in a colander or sieve before forming the cakes.
1 cup peeled and quartered russet or Idaho potato
4 scallions
1 3-to-4-ounce can boneless, skinless sardines packed in oil, drained
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons needed)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 large egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups panko bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Place the potatoes in the bowl of a food processor. Wash the scallions, cut them into two-inch lengths, and add them to the food processor. Add the sardines, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and egg. Pulse the processor to chop and combine all the ingredients. Add one-quarter teaspoon of salt and one-eighth teaspoon of pepper, and process again to combine. The mixture should be smooth with some small chunks.
Form the mixture into four cakes about four inches in diameter and one-half-inch thick. Place the panko bread crumbs on a plate, and coat the cakes with the bread crumbs.
Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the cakes, and sauté for five minutes, watching to make sure that they do not burn. Turn the cakes over, and sauté for another five minutes. They should be golden brown. Serves two.
