Sardine Salad Recipe (2024)

BY: Courtney PUBLISHED: 11 Comments UPDATED ON:

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Healthy Sardine Salad recipe for crackers or toasted bagelsardine sandwich! Easy healthy fish recipe packed with fresh lemon, peppers and onions.

Sardine Salad Recipe (1)

Growing up I loved eating canned sardines with sliced onions. My daughter now loves eating sardines too! My husband, however, won’t touch them! That was until I started making this sardine salad recipe! I’m going to show you how to eat sardines and love it! Sardines are lower in heavy metals like mercury, so this is a great alternative if you love tuna, but limit it due to heavy metal concerns. (psst, there are brands that have tuna with less mercury!)

Sardine Salad Recipe (2)Crown Prince Natural Skinless & Boneless Sardines in Pure Olive Oil, 3.75-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12)Sardine Salad Recipe (3)

I grew up eating and loving sardines, so it’s only natural that I gave it to my daughter. I wasn’t sure she would like them, but in our house, we always try it, because “we might like it”! My husband who wouldn’t touch a plain sardine was in disbelief. She can eat them plain, without anything. LOVES IT! Gobbles it up with a spoon, ha.

With this sardine salad recipe you won’t see any heavy dressing like mayo, instead I prefer to keep this a light and healthy recipe. I simply use the oil from the canned sardines and a little bit of lemon juice. You could absolutely drain out the oil and use mayo instead if you’d like. I even like to serve this recipe in romaine lettuce leaves, almost like a fish salad taco, so good!

Sardines is one of her favorites and she’ll literally beg me to buy more once we are down to the last can of sardines. It’s always on the shopping list. We ran out once and she wanted it so we ran to the store. Now we have it on auto delivery, no joke!

Since our family eats sardines so often I make sure we buy canned sardines that are in BPA free cans as well!

Sardine Salad Recipe (4)

It’s great to teach kids to learn all about their food, not just eat it.While my husband doesn’t enjoy them plain, doesn’t show her that he doesn’t like sardines that way. Instead, he joins in and cheers her on trying new food. It’s a big deal for our daughter to try new foods. Thankfully she’s great about trying stuff now that we’ve gotten her into a groove and she understands that if she doesn’t like it, we won’t force her to eat it, but she has to at least try it.

Sardine Salad Recipe (5)

I love to serve this healthy sardine salad recipe with crackers or even on a bagel, oh my yum! It’s a great breakfast brunch recipe, and I love serving it when entertaining. People never would guess it’s sardines. They LOVE it. I don’t tell them what it is until they try it. I feel like it’s harder to get an adult to try a new food rather than a child these days. 😉

Try our Healthy Sardine Salad Recipe today!

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”fNbcoNek” upload-date=”2018-05-24T16:37:34.000Z” name=”Sardine Salad Recipe” description=”Healthy Sardine Salad recipe for crackers or toasted bagel sardine sandwich! Easy healthy fish recipe packed with fresh lemon, peppers and onions.”]

Sardine Salad Recipe (6)

Sardine Salad Recipe

Author: Courtney

Healthy Sardine Salad recipe for crackers or toasted bagelsardine sandwich! Easy healthy fish recipe packed with fresh lemon, peppers and onions.

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 28kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 can sardines , boneless, skinless, in oil
  • 1/4 red pepper , chopped
  • 1 tablespoon red onion , chopped
  • 1/8 cup scallions , chopped
  • 1/2 lemon , juiced

Instructions

  • Dump the sardines with oil into a bowl,

  • Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well.

  • Once combined serve with crackers, on a bagel or even with toast.

Nutrition

Calories: 28kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 530IU | Vitamin C: 34.5mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 0.4mg

The nutritional information is automatically calculated and can vary based ingredients and products used. If the nutrition numbers are important for you we recommend calculating them yourself.

nutrition disclaimer

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Sardine Salad Recipe (11)

About Courtney

Family, Food, and Photography are Courtney's passions and you'll see all of that on this blog. She is happily married to her husband Chris and together they have two amazing kiddos!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sardine Salad Recipe (12)KR

    Thank you for sharing! So easy to do and looks amazing!

    Reply

    • Sardine Salad Recipe (13)Courtney Lopez

      Thank you so much! I know not everyone loves sardines, but they’re so good and so good for you! 🙂

  2. Sardine Salad Recipe (14)JD SPANN

    You are 100 percent correct It’s great to teach kids to learn all about their food, not just eat it. And force her to eat it, but she has to at least try it. Is a great way for kids to learn what they like. Your Recipe sounds great I am going to try it with lime juice and a dash of sweet chili paste! You are a great mom my wife did the same with our kids who are now grown and have a very wide variety of foods they like good job.

    Reply

  3. Sardine Salad Recipe (15)Kelli Wilson

    This is delicious. I was really surprised how much I enjoyed eating this.

    Reply

    • Sardine Salad Recipe (16)Courtney

      It’s really delicious – glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

  4. Sardine Salad Recipe (17)DAL

    Easy and tastes great. I don’t like sardines but decided to try this…. everyone liked it.

    Reply

    • Sardine Salad Recipe (18)Courtney

      So glad you guys enjoyed! My husband won’t eat them, but loves this recipe! I think all the flavors take over. I can’t eat them plain, but love it with the additions!! 🙂

  5. Sardine Salad Recipe (19)Les

    Never tried sardines, but reading about the nutritional value…Can’t wait to try! Those crackers in the pic look delish, what kind are they?

    Reply

    • Sardine Salad Recipe (20)Courtney

      I hope you give it a try!! So good – and those are Mary’s Gone Crackers in everything 🙂

  6. Sardine Salad Recipe (21)Brian Mantle

    Very nice, with some extra lemon juice & a bit of mayonnaise.
    Thank you, Courtney!

    Reply

  7. Sardine Salad Recipe (22)LD

    This was DELICIOUS! THANK YOU for sharing. We like sardines, but don’t often find good recipes using them.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Sardine Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is good to mix with sardines? ›

Sauté in oil, garlic, onions, and tomato with a bit of lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Gets rid of fishy smell and taste, and eat with a bowl of rice! Make a dip: Mash together sardines, mayo, chopped parsley, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

What is the healthiest way to eat sardines? ›

You can eat them right out of the can, top them with onions or peppers, or add condiments such as mustard, mayo, or hot sauce. Usually, the heads have been removed, but you'll be eating the skin and bones. In fact, that's where some health benefits lie.

Are sardines healthier than tuna fish? ›

Canned sardines are often a healthier choice than canned tuna, the experts note. While both are high in protein, sardines are more nutrient-dense. Sardines have a higher combined omega-3 (DHA and EPA) content than tuna fish, says Largeman-Roth. Sardines are also lower in mercury than tuna.

What can I do with a can of sardines? ›

Recipes
  1. Curry Tuna Salad Cups.
  2. Brussels Sprout Sardine Caesar Salad.
  3. Crispy Chickpea Tuna Salad.
  4. Lemon Dill Sardine Melt.
  5. Crispy Tuna Egg Rolls.
  6. Sardine Buddha Bowl.

How do the French eat canned sardines? ›

And as with all things culinary, the French really do them right. Whether they be grilled then bathed in extra-virgin olive oil before being tinned, or combined with a bit of gentle pepper, or layered with sliced lemon, or just simply put in the tin, they're delicious.

Should you rinse canned sardines? ›

Rinse sardines before use to remove excess salt or oil.

Can I eat a tin of sardines every day? ›

While canned sardines are a low-mercury fish choice, Manaker notes, "eating them frequently—as in more than four times a week—may be a concern, since you could potentially be exposed to too much [mercury]." While this shouldn't scare you (especially if you're consuming less than 8 ounces per week), it's important to ...

Does sardines burn belly fat? ›

Fatty fish

Salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, and other fatty fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which may help you lose body fat. Fish is also an excellent source of high quality protein, which may lead to greater feelings of fullness and can help increase your metabolic rate.

What is the downside of sardines? ›

They naturally contain a substance that creates uric acid. Uric acid buildup can cause kidney and gout issues for those who are already susceptible. Canned sardines are high in salt. If you're trying to reduce your salt intake, check the label before eating canned sardines.

Are sardines better in oil or water? ›

Sardines in water VS oil: which one is better? Sardines in olive oil taste better - arguably. Sardines in water have roughly half as much fat, but the amount of saturated fat isn't a lot higher in olive oil-packed sardines. In other words sardines in olive oil have more fat, but it's the good stuff.

Do you eat the bones in sardines? ›

While you can safely eat the bones of canned or pressure-cooked sardines, you'll still be able to detect them — not so much in taste, but definitely in texture. Canned sardine bones aren't by any means crunchy or hard like those of uncanned fish, but they do have a gritty texture.

Why do I feel so good after eating sardines? ›

Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids: Sardines are a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for brain function, reducing inflammation, and maintaining a healthy heart. High-quality protein: Sardines provide complete protein, which helps in muscle growth, tissue repair, and maintaining a strong immune system.

What are the best canned sardines to eat? ›

Nuri sardines are so rich they feel like some sort of imperial delicacy. These savory Portuguese sardines are nestled tightly in a tin of delicious, pungent olive oil, which magically infuses the small fish. Every bite is a fatty, oleaginous, meaty, protein-rich morsel.

How to make canned sardines taste nice? ›

Cook out two cloves of minced garlic in lots of olive oil (add the oil from the sardines later too), add some cherry tomatoes and a can of chickpeas, your tinned sardines and sprinkle paprika over to finish.

Why avoid sardines in oil or sauce? ›

Canned sardines are often packed in oil, water, mustard, tomato, or other sauces that can increase sodium levels.

Are canned sardines better in water or oil? ›

Sardines in water VS oil: which one is better? Sardines in olive oil taste better - arguably. Sardines in water have roughly half as much fat, but the amount of saturated fat isn't a lot higher in olive oil-packed sardines. In other words sardines in olive oil have more fat, but it's the good stuff.

What kind of crackers are best with sardines? ›

Besides saltines, rectangular Club Crackers are another go-to. Pretty much all savory crackers are delicious with sardines, so experiment with your favorite crispbreads or flatbreads.

Can you eat sardines and cheese together? ›

Sardine and Manchego Tapas: Arrange sardines on toasted baguette slices, then top with a slice of Manchego cheese and a dollop of tomato jam. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

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