Sardines are Good Food

If my father reads this post, he may not step foot in my house again.  He is THAT put off by fish in a can.  I can honestly say that I never had canned sardines before (or fresh, for that matter).  There were times that cans of tuna fish were successfully smuggled into the house growing up.  Mom and I would secretly eat it when he was away on business.  We had to sneak the empty tin back out of the house, lest he find it in the garbage.   My sister inherited his same disdain for all things canned and fishy.  But my grandma.... well, lets just say she was a different story.  Smoked oysters in a can were one of her fave's.  I never screwed up the courage to actually try it, but I liked to watch her place them gently on a saltine, lovingly eat them, and then wash them down with a cold Iron City.  Pure pleasure, indeed.

But I wanted to try sardines.  I'm a big fan of tuna fish, and use canned anchovies for the basis of pasta sauces and salad dressings.  Never sardines.  After reading yet another article on Omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish, I bought a can.  My first foray was to make a cracker spread, by deviling (think spicy and zesty).  Not half-bad.  A few minor adjustments to get it just right.  Then, I spread that deviled sardine on a cracker, thought of grandma, popped it in and smiled.

Deviled Sardines


1 can sardines in olive oil (these vary in quality, mine were from Morocco)--Mash with fork
1/2 - 1 TBSP good dijon mustard
1/2 - 1 TBSP worcestershire sauce
sprinkle of cayenne pepper


Stir together, then adjust seasoning to taste.  Spread on cracker.