Sardines Are Not Scary

Honestly, I get it. You hear the word, and you run. I'm not trying to change your mind, only to influence you a little by making sardines a little less scary. This is why I developed my Mediterranean-style black bean salad with radicchio...and sardines. After all, sardines are just little fish. They're not evil, and they really don't smell that, er, well, fishy! But you have to buy the good ones.

Today we're reminded of how useful sardines are if you're working on developing a healthy eating habit. Loaded with omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, they're also much safer to eat than the big fish, which are exposed to more toxins and heavy metals like mercury. I like the King Oscar brand packed in olive oil. Look for the brisling sardines, which are smaller and caught in deeper and very cold waters. They are more delicate in flavor and less "fishy." All tinned sardines are wild-caught; typically, they are lightly smoked, so that adds to the overall taste of these little nutrition-packed morsels. Today's recipe in printable format.

Just a few pretty little fish, wild-caught, lightly smoked and beautifully packed in olive oil.

I'm not asking you to open a can of inexpensive tuna. We all know what that smells and tastes like. Not pleasant...unless you're a cat. Actually, I'd encourage you to stay away from tuna. It's one of the big fish  high on the mercury scale. Save the tuna for a sushi treat--not for a salad you eat once a week.

In Greece, sardines are valued. They are less expensive than the fancy big fish, they are delicious fresh (just like any other fish) and they are even served in restaurants. You can grill or fry them. And the smaller fresh anchovies are also marinated and offered as an appetizer or mezze at all Greek restaurants. If you want to try my recipe today, all ingredients are available at most grocery stores.

A favorite way to eat sardines is the easiest traditional Greek preparation in this recipe. I serve it over an avocado for extra nutrition and fiber. It's ready in no time, and you don't even need a recipe.

Today's recipe is so easy and customizable. It serves two for a hearty lunch, especially when combined with the traditional Cretan rusks. If you buy the barley rusks, you can also make the Cretan Dakos, which is referred to as a salad or bruschetta-like mezze. Greek people love rusks, what we call paximathia (pax-i-MATHIA). The biggest problem with these rusks is deciding to hydrate them so that they sop up all of the salad dressing or to eat them as they are for maximum crunch. I go both ways.