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Sardine Salad – easy and satisfying

 

sardine salad

I LOVE sardines!  In fact, I’m always trying to find new ways of eating and cooking with them.   I had a hankering for these small oily fish just the other day, but I also wanted something fresh and cool to balance it out.  So, I came up with a very satisfying Sardine Salad.

I’m often inspired to work within the limits of what I have in my fridge and pantry, and this dish was no different.  I use sardines that are skinless, boneless and packed in olive oil.  You can find them at Trader Joe’s for $1.99 per tin — a real bargain as far as I’m concerned.  I usually have them on hand so they can be added to pasta or eaten simply with lemon juice, salt, pepper and a delicious crusty bread.  But, I digress.  Let’s talk salad!

Sardine Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 tin of boneless, skinless sardines packed in olive oil
  • 1 cup of hothouse cucumbers, seeded and diced
  • 8-10 grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1/4 cup of sweet peppers (red & yellow), diced
  • 1/4 cup of carrot, diced
  • 2 tablespoons of red onions, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup of celery, diced
  • 10-12 pitted Kalamata olives, quartered
  • 3/4 cup of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice, to taste
  • 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste

This is so easy!  Combine all the chopped veggies (which should be cut to approximately the same size) with the beans and olives into a bowl.  Remove the sardines from the tin and reserve some of the oil.  Add them to the salad and break up the sardines into chunks as you go.  You don’t want them to come completely apart.  Then add your lemon juice, olive oil (including the oil from the sardine tin), salt and pepper to the mixture.  Another toss, another taste, and you’re done!

I find this salad extremely satisfying, and had it as my dinner one evening with some wonderful rustic bread. The vegetables add a wonderful crunch, while the olives provide a briny note.  The sardines are what add real depth and round out the entire dish.  Nothing is easier, earthier or more delicious than a simple salad enhanced by a robust sardine companion!

Photo Credit: Pia Schiavo-Campo

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