Tapas-style sardine salad makes a good appetizer, lunch, small dinner plate, snack, or even breakfast.
I owe a big thank you to my food-loving friend Carolyn for introducing me to this simple, delicious, nutritious salad. (Sardines are packed with vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, and protein! Sardines are not packed with mercury! So says Wikipedia!) This remarkably concise dish features only four main ingredients, each intensely flavorful. A small bite goes a long way. And on a scale from effortless to elementary, this recipe’s difficulty rating hovers somewhere around “imbecile-proof.” Sardine-loving imbeciles, rejoice!
Serve with good bread or crackers, along with optional roasted red peppers and/or slices of hard-boiled egg. Makes a delicious small dinner plate, light lunch, or even breakfast for those inclined towards savory morning fare.
Sardine Salad
1 4-ounce can of lightly smoked* sardines, including oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice (from about one lemon)
¼ cup chopped red onion
½ cup chopped curly leaf parsley
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* If you can’t find lightly smoked sardines, regular is fine.
Remove bones from sardines, if needed, and chop. In a small serving bowl, mix chopped sardines (along with the oil from the can), lemon juice, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Taste and add salt, pepper, and/or lemon as needed.
Serve with bread or crackers.
