Yup, you read that right. And it’s not the first time I’ve made it; I got curious and used Kath’s recipe years ago and didn’t hate it.

I’ve had a can of sardines in the pantry for a little while now (our co-op sells them 2 for $4) and felt the need to break it open sooner rather than later.  While I could have simply pretending I was making tuna salad and mixed it with some celery, dill pickle, egg white and onion, I decided I’d break out some of my cookbooks to see if they had anything to say.

For Christmas, I received Run Fast. Eat Slow. from a girlfriend and it featured an ‘Omega Sardine Salad’ that sounded good. (It was slim pickins’; I’ll be honest, not many of my cookbooks have recipes that include sardines.)

So, I whipped up the salad with some homemade mayo (instead of the plain Greek yogurt) and served it in various ways: with crackers, on salad topped with crackers (below) and on a whole-wheat English muffin.

I’d like to challenge anyone who already eats canned salmon to try sardines.  The authors note in the book that sardines are sustainable and don’t have mercury (because they’re at the bottom of the food chain and don’t concentrate heavy metals). Sardines are high in protein, omega-3 fats, Vitamins B12 and D and calcium.  They only have a *slightly* more ‘pronounced’ flavor than tuna or salmon, and–in fact–I’d say it’s less fishy and more brine-y or salty.

So, give it a whirl!  I loved the mix-ins with this salad, which included mashed hardboiled eggs, parsley, celery and toasted walnuts and olives with a little bit of Dijon mustard.  It was salty and rich and paired really well with wheat crackers.