Sardines

Sardines. There’s an association with them that makes sense. Might even call them the Vienna sausage of fish- usually served from a can, not visibly attractive and completely unglamorous. But like Vienna sausage to some, the sardine in a can is completely underrated.

I’ve always been intrigued by sardines. But I’ve never been won over. I used to eat them a lot as a kid, my mom would buy ones with tomato sauce on them. They weren’t altogether bad, but they still had a tinny taste to them, and they were quite bony as well. As a kid I was a pretty picky eater, but growing up in Japan, a love for fish is a prerequisite. But like any kid, I wasn't going to try too hard to like something - the unagi, or eel, for example, something I love now, was completely inedible to me in Japan - the bones were just too prevalent.

Fast-forward many years. I've been working on losing weight- and eating well- things that go hand in hand, of course.  Thanks to my 'celebrity doctor,' Michael Aziz, I am trying his Perfect 10 Diet, which in my interpretation means: whole grains, less sugar (no sugar really, but my god, I would be really grumpy), and nothing over-processed. It's been working pretty well for me, I've lost about 6 lbs so far which is great. What makes it work is finding foods that are delicious and good for you. 

I also love to read the blog, Serious Eats, for inspiration. There, a search for sardines resulted in this recipe from Alton Brown- sardine and avocado sandwiches. Now, there was a marriage I would endorse. Apparently, this was the meal that got Alton to lose a lot of weight as well. How could I go wrong?

My husband purchased Crown Prince sardines at my request at the local supermarket. They were preserved in olive oil. "Try them in salads, sandwiches, casseroles or straight out of the can," encouraged the packaging. So I did- I peeled off the top and dug in with a fork. The sardines were sweet and of course, oily- with a strong similarity to my favorite fish, the mackerel. This fish had serious potential.

With the success of the first taste, I piled them onto a slice of wheat bread, and added freshly sliced avocado and sandwiched them together. I could hardly wait to take a bite.

Sadly, it was a waste of a good sardine. The avocados, while delicious, completely overpowered the sardines. I might as well have added tuna to the sandwich. Profoundly disappointing.

Having said that, the discovery of sardines was worth the experiment. I have since purchased different varieties of sardines, and they have also been successful. One box I have yet to try, but I intend to: Bar Harbor Smoked Sardine Fillets in Maple Syrup.