Easy Sardine Recipes

Featured Recipes

Sardines on Crackers

A protein-packed and portable snack.

When it's too hot to cook, just step outside and gather tomatoes and basil from your garden, cut up some day-old country bread and make this flavorful, easy salad, our take on the classic Italian bread salad known as panzanella.

» Bread & Tomato Salad

Spring Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette

A bold, layered salad that showcases sardines and asparagus, this beautiful dish adds variety to your weekday dining. If you prefer tuna to sardines or have fish from the night before, go ahead and use that instead.

» Spring Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette

Tomato Toast with Sardines & Mint

Washington, D.C.-based chef Barton Seaver is a passionate advocate for the health of the oceans. He’s a fellow with the Blue Ocean Institute and is working on a PBS series, Turning the Tide, about food and the environment. When we asked Seaver what type of seafood he would like to include in a recipe for EatingWell, he suggested the humble canned sardine. He said, “Sustainability isn’t just about the oceans—it’s about sustainability for people. Anyone can jump in their SUV, drive to Walmart and buy a can of sardines. I love that! It needs to be accessible and easy.” We think Seaver has truly elevated the canned sardine with this fresh-tasting and simple appetizer.

» Tomato Toast with Sardines & Mint

Greek Salad with Sardines

The fresh, tangy elements of a Greek salad—tomato, cucumber, feta, olives and lemony vinaigrette—pair well with rich-tasting sardines. Look for sardines with skin and bones (which are edible) as they have more than four times the amount of calcium as skinless, boneless sardines. If you’re lucky enough to have fresh sardines available in your supermarket, try them in place of the canned sardines. Lightly dredge them in salt-and-pepper-seasoned flour and sauté them in a little olive oil.

» Greek Salad with Sardines

Lemon-Garlic Sardine Fettuccine

Even sardine skeptics will enjoy this lemony pasta with crispy breadcrumbs. Substitute two 5- to 6-ounce cans chunk light tuna for the sardines if you prefer. If you are using tuna or can’t find sardines packed in tomato sauce, add 2 tablespoons tomato paste in Step 4 with the lemon juice. Serve with a salad of bitter greens tossed with a lemon vinaigrette and a glass of Pinot Grigio.

» Lemon-Garlic Sardine Fettuccine

Smoky Artichoke-Sardine Salad

Smoked paprika and sherry vinegar add Spanish flair to the dressing of this artichoke-and-sardine salad. Try this salad for a take-along lunch. To keep the salad greens from getting soggy, pack the greens, salad toppings and dressing in separate containers and toss them together just before eating.

» Smoky Artichoke-Sardine Salad

Give canned sardines a try with these healthy recipes for sardines.

Pacific, wild-caught sardines are one of the healthiest foods we can consume. These nutritional powerhouses are one of the best sources of omega-3 fats, with a whopping 1,950 mg/per 3 ounces (that’s more per serving than salmon and tuna), and they’re packed with vitamin D. And because sardines are small and low on the food chain, they don’t harbor lots of toxins like bigger fish can. Add this healthy fish to your diet with our healthy canned sardine recipes.