Here's How You Should Be Eating Canned Sardines According To A Pro

Some time in the past couple of years, preserved and tinned fish became a hot new food trend. And it wasn't just your average cheap canned tuna; people were going for all kinds of seafood options from salmon to mackerel, often imported and preserved in smokey or citrusy oils, among many other taste profiles. 

Canned sardines have also been part of that trend — although they're considered similar to oily fish like mackerel and herring, they generally have a lighter flavor, with subtle sweetness and salty notes. They can stand alone as a snack or be incorporated into bigger recipes — but there are a few tricks to making the most of them. Just ask Gareth Maccubbin, founder of New York City bar and online store Maiden Lane, which specializes in serving canned fish. Before you dive in, he first recommends paying attention to which types of sardines you're buying and how they're preserved.

"Avoid sardines in water," he says in an exclusive interview with Chowhound. "Look for sustainable, hand-packed sardines. Oil is always preferable to water or heavy sauces." This is because sardines in water will generally have less flavor (although health-conscious folks may still prefer them, as they have fewer calories and less salt). Heavy sauces, meanwhile, can overwhelm the flavor of the fish, leaving just the taste of sauce and defeating the point of buying sardines (or any other fish, for that matter).

You may also want to consider the size of the sardines you're buying, according to Maccubbin. "[Get] small sardines if you want a more delicate texture and flavor. Regular sardines will be meatier and would stand up to more flavorful condiments or light cooking." Small sardines are great if you're eating them alone or with basic accompaniments like bread. Speaking of which, Maccubbin is a fan of keeping it simple when serving tinned sardines. "We typically serve sardines straight from the can. Tinned seafood is typically already cooked and/or cured so you don't want to fuss with it too much."

He suggests layering them on crostini, although at Maiden Lane, sardines are often served with some extra condiments. "We serve everything from the tin with baguette, good soft butter, sea salt, and a parsley salad. Some lemon or a mild hot sauce is always great. Aioli and pickled onions are also friendly additions if you're serving them on crostini or crackers."

 Maiden Lane sells a few brands , including Ramón Peña, a Spanish company whose sardines are praised for their mild yet distinctive taste that's well-balanced with the olive oil in the can. Maiden Lane also sells Jacques Gonidec brand sardines from France, with options marinated in lemon, chile, or just olive oil. The chile-marinated sardines have been described as having a nice kick while still letting the fish's taste and texture shine through.

Maccubbin is generally a fan of serving sardines with minimal add-ons, mostly just straight from the can with the aforementioned sides. But he notes that tinned seafood also works well when added at the end of a recipe. "I'll add clams to the very end of a linguini with white wine or add smoked mussels to a simple garlic bread. Smoked trout is great with eggs, but again be careful not to over cook it," he says. For sardines, placing them on top of a lightly-dressed salad is Maccubbin's go-to tip. The type of salad can be flexible; sardines pair just as well with a bean salad as a tomato salad, for example.

Pasta is another medium that works well with sardines. Even if Maccubbin opts for clams on linguini, there's no shortage of recipes that treat sardines in a similar way. Sicilian-style pasta is one option, with white wine spaghetti and fennel. Other recipes keep it pretty simple too; for example, spaghetti flavored with lemon and chiles can be given a fishy, salty kick with sardines. Otherwise, sardines on toast with the toppings of your choice (for example, marinated vegetables or avocado) is a classic.

No matter how you prepare them, make sure there's room for the sardines to shine through. Quality tinned sardines can easily run over $10 (often for a very small can). This means you won't be using a bucketload of them, so avoid overpowering them with too many competing flavors.