# What do I do with sardines? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342 "2017-10-20T02:09:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/21 "2017-10-20T13:32:20Z")
I get the kind in extra virgin olive oil and just mash them up right in the can season with Sriracha and eat them with a fork. It’s my go-to lunch. I probably have it for lunch 200 times a year. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/22 "2017-10-20T13:44:39Z")
I like em on fresh rye bread with thin slices of salted onion, either open faced or as a closed sandwich. Might need a schmear of mayo on the onion side if the sardines aren’t oily enough. PS: If you feed them to the cat, your litter box is going to really reek for the next day or two. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/23 "2017-10-20T13:50:46Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I mentioned this is another thread. > \*\* > Whizz them up into a paste in blender\*\*. If they have tomato sauce already on them then great, just chuck the whole tin in. If not, add a bit of tomato puree, finely diced onion, pepper, paprika and a bit of olive oil. Smoosh until smooth and there you have a great sandwich filling or dip for crudites. it’s not just for bass anymore. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/24 "2017-10-20T15:04:59Z")
I’ve always eaten them on white bread with ketchup. I still eat them this way, it’s easy and you don’t have to actually look at them. Canned sardines are simple - take out of can and eat. The more you mess with them, the worse, IMO. (They are like carrots, in that way. Carrots are something you eat, raw or cooked. Start messing with carrots and you “might” have something good there, or you might just have a bunch of ingredients wasted on …carrots.) I would donate them to the food bank, it would be terribly wasteful to throw them away. People will use them to feed their cats, if not eat them. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/25 "2017-10-20T15:12:57Z")
See, for me carrots are almost exclusively an ingredient. Don’t like them on their own. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/26 "2017-10-20T16:35:12Z")
Throw them away. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/28 "2017-10-20T19:13:16Z")
Use them for bait assuming the EPA does not mind. :eek: ---
**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:** [October 20, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/29 "2017-10-20T19:40:49Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > … > ETA: Oooh, ooh: and those little pickled ears of corn! Like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX4fSP9x4ng)? ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/30 "2017-10-21T08:53:34Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX4fSP9x4ng)? Well, at a fancy party like that, I’d use a knife to cut the kernels from the cob.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/31 "2017-10-21T13:34:40Z")
I put them in spaghetti sauce. Remember that tomatoes were not introduced into Italy until after Columbus, and sardines were abundant in the Mediterranean waters, so sardines were a daily staple in the Italian diet before they had tomatoes. For a quickie, just open a can of sardines in tomato sauce and pour them onto spaghetti with some Italian seasonings. I make my own sauce, and usually pour in a can of sardines packed in oil. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/32 "2017-10-21T18:30:19Z")
These days I mostly add sardines to soup or salad. They’re also excellent for live-trapping raccoons. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/33 "2017-10-21T19:32:48Z")
drain the sardines, mix with a bit of minced onion, sprinkle with a bit of vinegar to taste, mix in a dab of horseradish to taste, spread on a saltine and enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/34 "2017-10-21T22:29:19Z")
Baked beans are off. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/35 "2017-10-21T23:52:06Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > Put them on avocado toast > > [http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sherried-sardine-toast-recipe-1949095](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sherried-sardine-toast-recipe-1949095) You fool! Are you trying to sink the economy? ([… or so whined the rich idiot with no day job](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/business/avocado-toast-millennials.html?_r=0)) I eat them straight out of the can, but I’m lazy. Making a sandwich is probably more socially acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/36 "2017-10-22T01:22:30Z")
If you don’t have a cat, dogs also love stinky fish. Our dogs were soooo happy when salmon dogfood came out, and when our one dog was on an allergy elimination diet, the first foods she was allowed were potatoes, brown rice, and tuna. She was crazy about it. (Turned out she was allergic to corn.) She would have been happy to live on those forever-- although, it was nice when peanut butter came back on the menu. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/37 "2017-10-22T02:15:30Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Just eat them out of the can, with some good crusty bread, as I do. Sardines are lovely. > > But, if you want to have fun, I came across [this earlier today](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsvxQ01Oy8k), quite serendipitously. > > I find them quite nice, also, with pasta, [like here](https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/mediterranean-sardine-lemon-pasta/). I’d eat them on their own, as a supplement to an otherwise low-protein meal (e.g. if I’m eating pasta with vegetables or something, I might eat a can of sardines alongside them). Sprinkle them with salt and a bit of paprika or black pepper. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/38 "2017-10-22T16:31:09Z")
> [@Kyrie\_Eleison](#): > > You are all much more fancy than I. I just pop them onto Triscuits and then into my mouth. My Granddad used to do this. He gave one to me one time thinking I wouldn’t like it but I did. The mustard ones are the best. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/39 "2017-10-22T16:34:31Z")
> [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > My Granddad used to do this. He gave one to me one time thinking I wouldn’t like it but I did. The mustard ones are the best. Yes, the mustard ones! ---
**Author:** ![snuffleupagus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@snuffleupagus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snuffleupagus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/40 "2017-10-23T20:05:00Z")
I like them just to eat plain or with hot sauce, but if you don’t like them that way, they are pretty similar to tuna- so flake them up and make them as you would tuna salad, with mayo, relish, etc; or add to a pasta salad. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342/41 "2017-10-24T04:33:45Z")
Sardines, kippers, Blind Robbins. All are celestial with your choice of cracker/bread and a cold beer. My favorite bar snack ever! But if you don’t like them, you don’t like them. Simply find someone who does. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-sardines/799342.md?page=3)