# Sardines! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 15, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810 "2019-01-15T18:37:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/1 "2019-01-15T18:37:33Z")
A couple of years ago at my annual wellness checkup, they told me I need to increase my “good cholesterol”. So, I bought a can of sardines to see what they were like, since I had never tried them before. I’ve never been a huge fan of canned tuna, so I assumed I wouldn’t like them. I was wrong! I found them very enjoyable, and sardines on a cracker has been a part of my regular lunch rotation for a while now. I typically get the BeachCliff or Pampa brand in Louisiana hot sauce. I’ve also found herring in a chili-tomato sauce that I enjoy. The other day, I noticed my local Walmart had the much more expensive King Oscar brand sardines clearance priced at $1.00/can, so I bought a couple just for s&gs. My clupeidaen world has now grown much larger. I had no idea sardines could be so delectable! I went back to Walmart and bought out the rest of the King Oscar brand that they had on clearance. My worry now is that I’m spoiled. I don’t know if I can go back to the cheaper brands once my premium stash runs out, and I don’t know if I can justify buying King Oscar at regular price. ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/2 "2019-01-15T19:53:27Z")
Mmmm, sardines, them delectable little fishes! I like the ones in mustard on Triscuit crackers. Makes me think that I haven’t had any since I moved and no longer have a Grocery Outlet nearby. But there’s a new Big Lots a quick bus ride away, so I should go check them out. Somehow, I associate sardines with discount stores. It would be lovely if they had King Oscars for a buck (not likely, I’m sure) but I’d be happy with Beach Cliff. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/3 "2019-01-15T20:05:18Z")
I generally buy Trader Joe’s Lightly Smoked Sardines in Olive Oil. Usually I eat them as-is, but sometimes I’ll smother them in Sriracha sauce. Emperor of Russia: Tsar. Emperor’s wife: Tzarina. Their kids: Tzardines! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/4 "2019-01-15T20:10:31Z")
I like the ones in mustard, too. Haven’t bought any in a while. Must correct that situation soon. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/5 "2019-01-15T20:17:10Z")
We have a moderately-sized Portuguese community in this town, and there are a few Portuguese grocery stores around to serve them. Portuguese have a knack for canning sardines, and whenever I visit one of these stores, I stock up on a few cans. They’re always quite reasonable, and _excellent_. I always go for the simple canned-in-olive-oil variety. I think Spain also excels in canned fish, if my memory of Tony Bourdain’s shows is correct. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/6 "2019-01-15T20:17:23Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I like the ones in mustard, too. Haven’t bought any in a while. Must correct that situation soon. I like herring filets in Dijon mustard. But I can never find them where I shop. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/7 "2019-01-15T20:40:16Z")
I _love_ sardines in hot sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/8 "2019-01-15T20:54:30Z")
I’m a big fan of the Bumble Bee Skinless Boneless ones, with Franks Red Hot on saltines. Mmmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/9 "2019-01-15T21:07:27Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > We have a moderately-sized Portuguese community in this town, and there are a few Portuguese grocery stores around to serve them. > > Portuguese have a knack for canning sardines, and whenever I visit one of these stores, I stock up on a few cans. They’re always quite reasonable, and _excellent_. I always go for the simple canned-in-olive-oil variety. > > I think Spain also excels in canned fish, if my memory of Tony Bourdain’s shows is correct. Hi Teela - but did you realise just how big a deal this is in Portugal? This is the famous sardine shop in Lisbon: > **[Cirque de Sardine • A Portuguese Affair](https://www.aportugueseaffair.com/sardinha-portuguesa/)** > > One store in Lisbon has taken sardine tins to a whole new level. Welcome to Mundo Fantástico da Sardinha Portuguesa, the greatest sardine show on Earth! And whatever Lisbon can do: [https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction\_Review-g189180-d5967593-Reviews-Casa\_Oriental-Porto\_Porto\_District\_Northern\_Portugal.html](https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g189180-d5967593-Reviews-Casa_Oriental-Porto_Porto_District_Northern_Portugal.html) So, Mike - next holiday? j ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/10 "2019-01-15T21:13:26Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Hi Teela - but did you realise just how big a deal this is in Portugal? This is the famous sardine shop in Lisbon: > > [Cirque de Sardine • A Portuguese Affair](https://www.aportugueseaffair.com/sardinha-portuguesa/) > > And whatever Lisbon can do: > > [https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction\_Review-g189180-d5967593-Reviews-Casa\_Oriental-Porto\_Porto\_District\_Northern\_Portugal.html](https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g189180-d5967593-Reviews-Casa_Oriental-Porto_Porto_District_Northern_Portugal.html) > > So, Mike - next holiday? > > j Wow, impressive. If I ever make it to Europe, Portugal and Spain will be at the top of my list! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/11 "2019-01-15T21:16:35Z")
I think I’ve asked this before, but I’ve forgotten the answer. Do canned sardines still have the guts in them? I’m always more interested in eating them than dissecting them, so I never check. On one hand I think, ‘Of _course_ they’re cleaned! Their heads are off, aren’t they?’ On the other hand, they’re pretty small; so it seems a lot of work to gut them, and who’s going to notice a few cooked internal organs anyway? ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/12 "2019-01-15T21:22:34Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Hi Teela - but did you realise just how big a deal this is in Portugal? This is the famous sardine shop in Lisbon: > > [Cirque de Sardine • A Portuguese Affair](https://www.aportugueseaffair.com/sardinha-portuguesa/) > > And whatever Lisbon can do: > > [https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction\_Review-g189180-d5967593-Reviews-Casa\_Oriental-Porto\_Porto\_District\_Northern\_Portugal.html](https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g189180-d5967593-Reviews-Casa_Oriental-Porto_Porto_District_Northern_Portugal.html) > > So, Mike - next holiday? > > j That’s amazing. Yum, I’d probably OD on sardines if I went to Portugal. **Johnny L.A.** , I think the larger sardines are gutted, and the itty bitty ones are still intact. I sometimes buy the “Tiny Tots” brand, and the little fishies still have all their bones and guts. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/13 "2019-01-15T21:56:57Z")
A dollar a car for King Oscar is a really good deal. Try smoked sprats, tiny little fishies from the Baltics. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/14 "2019-01-15T21:59:11Z")
I like the little ones, especially the really teeny ones that are [cross-packed](http://paleoheretic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/KingOscarCrossPack1.jpg). I really don’t care for the bigger ones that are only like 4 in a can. I like to dump out the oil, refill the can with Crystal hot sauce and eat them with a little cocktail fork. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/15 "2019-01-15T22:05:31Z")
Nope. Nope. Nope. Fish guts, gross! I think I have a memory of my nasty Uncle Leroy eating them when he was shit-faced. Maybe that’s why I don’t like them. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/16 "2019-01-15T22:06:08Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Hi Teela - but did you realise just how big a deal this is in Portugal? This is the famous sardine shop in Lisbon: > > [Cirque de Sardine • A Portuguese Affair](https://www.aportugueseaffair.com/sardinha-portuguesa/) I was in Lisbon last summer and we went to the Time Out Market for lunch one day. I practically freaked out when I saw the sardine booth. The people I was with thought I was nuts for eating canned sardines for lunch, but they were awesome. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/17 "2019-01-15T23:02:25Z")
One of my favorite recipes for the littles fishies (From Alton Brown, I think): **Sherried Sardine Toast** • 2 (3.75-ounce 2-layer) tins brisling sardines in olive oil • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves, divided • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar • 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, reserve the lemon and cut into 4 wedges • Freshly ground black pepper • 4 (1/2-inch) thick slices crusty bread, such as sourdough, country loaf or rye • 1 ripe Hass avocado • Coarse sea salt **Directions** Drain the oil from 1 tin of sardines into a small bowl and set aside. Drain the oil from the other tin into another small bowl and whisk in 1 tablespoon of parsley, vinegar, lemon zest, and black pepper, to taste. Add the sardines, stir to combine and set aside for up to 1 hour. After 45 minutes, put a rack 3-inches from the broiler and heat the oven to the broiler setting on high. Brush each slice of bread on 1 side with the reserved oil. Put the bread, oil side up, onto a cooling rack set inside a half sheet pan and broil 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Halve the avocado and remove the pit. Smash the flesh in each half with a fork. Spread the avocado evenly onto the toasted bread. Top evenly with the sardines. Pour any remaining dressing on top and garnish with the remaining parsley. Season lightly with sea salt and serve with lemon wedges. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/18 "2019-01-15T23:37:32Z")
OP, if you’re in an expansive mood WRT your diet, and you like sardines, I suspect you will like the Queen of canned seafood…the smoked oyster. Seriously: one of my favorite snacks of all time is to open and drain a can of smoked oysters (in oil), grab a decent cracker (water crackers, etc), put a smoked oyster on it, top it with a sliver of gruyere cheese and then finish with a dollop of dijon mustard. It’s _excellent_. By the way, sprats are also awesome, AND any of these things (sardines, sprats, smoked oysters) make AMAZING substitutions for anchovies in salad dressing preparations. If you have a food processor, you are now the king of vinaigrettes. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/19 "2019-01-15T23:46:55Z")
What’s wrong with you people!?! 😕 There’s only one way to properly eat a sardine: you spread a layer of Philadelphia Cream Cheese on a Ritz cracker. Then you put a sardine on top of that. Then you put a caper into the sardine’s eye socket. Then you sprinkle a few drops of Texas Pete hot sauce on top of that and you eat it in one bite. Then you eat a dozen more—two dozen if you haven’t eaten for a couple hours. This should be common sense. Do I have to change your diapers, too? Fer cryin’ out loud … ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810/20 "2019-01-15T23:50:11Z")
Seriously…are there guts and bones in sardines? Cause while people here are raving over their taste, I just can’t bring myself to try them if there’s either of those still included with the fish. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sardines/827810.md?page=2)