Sardines are a popular food choice enjoyed for their convenience, taste and nutritional value. These delicious little fish are versatile, making it easy to incorporate them into various meals — from light snacks to hearty dinners.

21 Different Ways to Eat Sardines

Sardines can be enjoyed in countless ways. Whether they are a main ingredient or an addition to a dish, there are plenty of ways you can eat and prepare sardines that will elevate your meals:

1. Straight out of the can: Sardines are usually packed with water, oil, tomato juice and other liquids, and they are great when eaten right out of the can. For extra flavor, try adding lemon juice or mayonnaise and for a quick and delicious snack.                                                                                                                                                                       
2. On a cracker: Sardines are fantastic on crackers with garnishes like mustard. You could also try adding lemon juice to enhance the flavor of the sardines.
3. On toast: Take your toast to another level by topping it with sardines. Follow our avocado toast with sardines recipe to make a quick and easy breakfast or lunchtime snack.
4. In a sandwich: If you’re looking for a delicious sandwich filling, our sardine salad is great when served with bread.                                                                   
5. Make a salad: Sardines make tasty additions to salads. Consider trying our Sardine a la Greek salad or Mackerel Farro Salad recipes.
6. Grill them: Even though canned sardines are already cooked, you can still grill them to enhance their flavor.
7. Fry them: Pan-fry sardines and toss them on leafy greens with an additive vinaigrette for an easy-to-make meal.
8. Add them to a pasta dish: Saute the sardines with a bit of oil and garlic to add them to your pasta dishes. You may want to try our Lemon Sardine Pasta recipe.                   
9. Make sardine fishcakes: Similar to salmon and tuna, sardines also make delicious fishcakes.
10. In avocados: If you’re not an avocado-on-toast person but still enjoy avocados, consider stuffing sardine salad in avocado halves.
11. Stuff them in peppers: Sardines can also be stuffed in peppers, making a tasty and healthy lunch.
12. Toss them in a rice bowl: You can turn your simple rice bowl into a nutritious and flavorful meal by adding sardines.
13. In a panini:  A panini can be made using a variety of fillings, including sardines. Try making a Sardine Panini following our recipe.
14. Make sardine pate: You can make sardine pate by blending sardines, sun-dried tomatoes, mayonnaise, spring onions and lemon juice. The pate can be used as a dip or spread and be enjoyed on bread, crackers or cucumber slices.
15. Sardine spread: Make sardine spread with a Mediterranean flair by mixing them with cilantro, capers and other components.
16. On focaccia: Focaccia is perfect for eating with salads. The Anchovy Caesar Salad on Focaccia makes the best sardine recipe for this combination.
17. Make taco filling: Put a twist on this Mexican-inspired dish by adding sliced and cooked sardines. Consider making our Adobe Chili Tacos with Side of Pico de Gallo recipe.
18. Put them in stew: Make a delicious stew and add sardines to give it a seafood taste. The Italian Fisherman’s Sardine Stew can be served with crusty bread for dipping.
19. Sardine fritters: Create crispy and delectable sardine fritters in the air fryer and serve with a side salad or tartar sauce to bring everything together.
20. Serve with eggs: Eggs go great with sardines for a hearty breakfast that’s packed with protein. No matter if you like your eggs scrambled, poached, sunny-side up or in an omelet, sardines are a fantastic addition mixed in or on the side.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
21. Sautee sardines: Sautee onions and plenty of red chilis then add sardines to anchor the spicy dish with their saltiness.

When Is a Good Time to Eat Sardines?

Sardines can be enjoyed any time of the day. As a nutrient-rich and versatile food, sardines are great as a breakfast, lunch or dinner meal. Consider making the Fisherman’s breakfast to start your day. For lunch, you might try a seafood salad wrap and the gluten-free sardine casserole for dinner. With a wide array of sardine recipes, you will find that any time of the day is a good time to have sardines.

Sardines are rich in omega-3 and protein, making them an excellent food to have after the gym. The nutrients found in sardines can help with muscle soreness after a workout.

Where Can You Eat Sardines?

You can eat sardines anywhere. People will often avoid eating sardines in public places due to the misconception about their smell. Similar to all other fish, sardines have a seafood-like smell. However, the smell shouldn’t be overpowering when you use the freshest ingredients.

Start Trying the Best Sardine Recipes With Our Canned Sardines

Whether you plan on cooking with sardines or eating them straight from the can, there are many tasty recipes to try. At Season, we have been offering canned sardines for over 100 years. They are sustainably sourced and come in various flavors. Order online today!