Grilled Tinned Sardines on Toast

Grilled Tinned Sardines on Toast is the perfect dish when you're on a tight budget and short of time. A tin of sardines, butter and bread. That's all you need to conjure up this tasty meal on toast.

Tinned Sardines on Toast was one of our staple meals when I was growing up, along with Cheese on Toast, Tomatoes on Toast, Cheese and Tomatoes on Toast, Scrambled Egg on Toast and, last but not least, Baked Beans on Toast! Yup, there's a pattern here...

This sardine recipe is still one of my favourite recipes for when I need something quick and easy to make for the family. A great healthy eating option, this tasty meal has the added bonus of being so very cheap! Add a generous squeeze of lemon to the finished dish for perfection. I try never to be without a can of sardines in the larder!

Jump to:

• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 How to make Sardines on Toast
• 📖 Are Sardines good for you?
• 📖 Sardines: All about canning
• 💭 More ideas
• 🍲 Storage
• 👨🏽‍🍳 Top tips
• FAQ
• 📋 Recipe Card

🧾 Ingredients

• tinned sardines
• butter
• tomato puree (paste) - not needed if using sardines in tomato sauce
• salt & black pepper
• good bread for toasting

See the Recipe Card below for quantities.

Tinned sardines: olive oil, sunflower oil, water, brine or tomato sauce?

There is a lot of choice out there. I don't worry too much about which type of tinned sardines to use, although there will be variations in taste depending on your choice. I used to always go for sardines in tomato sauce, but now just add some tomato puree (paste) when using sardines in oil or brine. If using sardines in oil, you may need to adjust the butter and add slightly less.

Butter

I prefer to use unsalted butter, particularly if using tinned sardines in salty brine. I can then add salt as needed once the sardines, butter and, if using, the tomato puree (paste) have been mashed together. Its easiest to mix the butter into the sardine mixture if it is beautifully soft. Not to worry if it is rock solid having just been taken out of the fridge. I cut the butter into small pieces and add to the sardines. A little more work is needed to mash the solid butter in with the sardines, but not a huge amount.

🍽 Equipment

• Bowl (to prepare sardine mixture in).
• Cutlery: knife, fork, teaspoon (for measuring tomato puree) and breadknife.
• Weighing machine (if using).

🔪 How to make Sardines on Toast

📖 Are Sardines good for you?

According to the UK's National Health Service (NHS) sardines belong to that group of fish classed as "oily fish". Oily fish, as well as being a good source of vitamin D are, apparently, high in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, which the NHS advises may help to prevent heart disease.

Well, it probably goes without saying that fresh sardines are good for you, but are sardines in a can good for you? According to the NHS website tinned sardines are among a small group of fish whose bones we can eat easily. This means that tinned sardines also provide calcium and phosphorous which, according to the NHS website, are good for keeping bones strong. An article asking the opposite question "Are Canned Sardines Bad for You?" gives even more detail of all the many benefits you may get from eating canned or tinned sardines.

So, if you are looking for a light lunch or supper dish as part of a healthy diet plan, look no further. This is one to add to your list of healthy recipes.

📖 Sardines: All about canning

A quick history of Sardine canning

For all you want to know about the history of sardine canning, from its beginning in France, to big business in Portugal and across to North America, take a look at this fascinating article The Surprisingly Rich History of Sardines.

Not forgetting that the UK has its own Cornish tinned sardines, which traditionally have been called pilchards. Cornish sardines have been caught and eaten for centuries, and the Cornish Sardine Management Association's website gives a detailed history of sardine fishing around Cornwall. To see how and where the Cornish sardines are caught, take a look at this Cornish Sardine Fisheries page.

How are Sardines canned?

The general principle of canning is that the fish are prepared (washed, heads and tails removed) and then cooked (such as by steaming or frying), before being packed in tins with some form of liquid such as oil, water, or sauce. The packed tins are then heated for a final sterilisation process.

Sardines are big business in Portugal. Ramirez claims to be the first cannery to operate in Portugal and now the oldest. For state of the art canning processes take a look at the Ramirez video of its canning factory. At the other end of the scale there is Pinhais & Cia where the canning of the sardines follows a traditional method, with the preparation and packing done by hand. So do take a look at this video on the Pinhais & Cia website showing its traditional approach (and I love the accompanying music!).

💭 More ideas

• Sardines are delicious when lightly spiced and tinned sardines often come in a spicy oil or spicy tomato sauce. Add a few red pepper flakes to the sardine mash to spice it up. Otherwise, a dash of the gently spiced Worcestershire Sauce works well.
• Serve with lemon wedge. A squeeze of lemon juice over the toasted sardines magically adds a touch of sweetness as well as sour, so balancing the richness of the fish. For a more intense lemon flavour, add a little lemon zest to the sardine mixture before toasting.
• When tomatoes are in season, I like to serve the Tinned Sardines on Toast with a few slices of fresh tomato sprinkled with just a little salt. Otherwise, a simple salad, such as tomatoes and cucumber with fresh herbs completes this healthy snack.
• Use the sardine mixture as a sandwich filling.
• Sardines are great just out of a tin. I particularly love the French Parmentier Sardines in extra-virgin olive oil, with just some crusty bread and good butter.
• How about mashed sardines on toast French style? The renowned French chef Joël Robuchon created a rich buttery mashed sardines recipe that could perhaps be called Sardine Butter. It uses copious amounts of butter enriched with crème fraîche, and to spice it all up a generous amount of French mustard, such as Dijon mustard. Take a look at On Rue Tatin for the recipe.
• For another easy to make fish dish try this Smoked Salmon and Crème Fraîche Pasta.

🍲 Storage

The tinned sardine mixture can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The mixture may solidify in the fridge. If it is fairly solid when using again, just put small spoonfuls of the solidified mixture onto the toast and grill (broil) very briefly (not even a minute) to soften the butter. Then spread the softened mixture on top of the toast evenly with a fork before grilling (broiling) again.

FAQ

📋 Recipe Card