Art Of The Meal II: Sardines And Such
A nice cheap and easily managed prep for your larder
Sardines are not a food everyone enjoys. I happen to like them enough to put some right out the can on a cracker so take this post with a grain of salt and a dash of hot sauce.
Even if you don’t like sardines you should consider starting to stock them for several reasons. The first is shelf life. I have a lot of cans of sardines of various types I bought last year or even further back. All of those have sell by dates of 2025. That’s one of the farthest out sell by dates I’ve seen on canned goods.
So as you’re planning a larder for the coming shortages sardines are one sort of canned good with long shelf life. They also are conveniently stackable so you save room. You can fit dozens of cans of sardines and other fish fillets on one pantry shelf.
Sardines and other similarly tinned fish are also calorie dense. Sardines in oil average 200-300 calories per can. I have herring fillets in tomato sauce that are 450 calories per can. Herring cans also have 2025 sell by dates and are usually found in the same section as sardines, though they’re more expensive. I keep a few in rotation for when I want something different.
Neither is very expensive in the scheme of things. At my local Lidl I can get generic sardines in oil for $.89, the herring cans which are twice the size are about $1.99. Compared to fresh fish these are great prices. I looked online and saw that Wal-Mart still has sardines for a buck a can for the cheapest while the rest are in the $1.50 range. Herring and Salmon cans are in the $3 range. The best deal I saw was a 15 oz can of Iberia sardines in tomato sauce for $2. I have a recipe for this type of sardine later, and this can will make five servings of that.
Sardines are also really good for you. They contain Omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and more importantly in the coming crisis protein. Nutritional health is something we will all have trouble with in the coming years.
Still not sold because of the strong flavor and smell? Here are a couple recipes to try to tame the tiny fish and make them go further.
Pasta de Sardine:
8 ounces fettuccine or pasta of your choice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lemon, juiced (not necessary but delicious)
1 can sardines in tomato sauce (at least 3 oz can)
Cook fettuccine al dente which should take about 9 minutes.
While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook for a few minutes until soft, then add the garlic. Stir in the sardines with their sauce. When the sardines heat through, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the pasta is ready. This will all take about 8-9 minutes.
When the pasta is done drain it and add to the sardine sauce. Squeeze the lemon over it and if you want add Parmesan cheese or red pepper flakes. This will feed 2-4 people. If you use a large can like I mentioned before you can make this meal several times by dividing up the contents.
Quick Sardine Curry (from Allrecipies.com):
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste, or more to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut cream
1 (3.75 ounce) can sardines in oil, drained
Heat the canola oil in a skillet. Stir the red curry paste into the hot oil; cook and stir for a few seconds before adding the garlic and shallot. Cook and stir the garlic and shallot until fragrant. Add the sardines; toss around in the pan to brown the skin a little bit and cover it well with the paste mixture. Gently stir the coconut cream into the mixture and continue to toss to coat the sardines. Allow mixture to come to a boil until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. This is best served over rice.
I can vouch for the first recipe being delicious. I just added these to give you an idea of how much more versatile these little cans of fish are than most people think.
So don’t sleep on sardines and other tinned fish.
If you know any good sardine recipes send them to my Instagram
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