Sardine Cakes

Featured Ingredient: Sardines

Say no to contaminant riddled or overfished fish species such as Chilean sea bass, swordfish or bluefin tuna and a resounding yes to sustainable sardines.

Though you don’t often see “sardines” and “superfood” in the same sentence, make so mistake, these wrongly maligned swimmers contain a surfeit of vital nutrients. Among the many nutritional highlights, sardines have soaring levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fats, protein, vitamin B12, bone-building calcium, selenium and vitamin D. You may have heard that vitamin D is becoming the must-have nutrient as it's increasingly linked to helping prevent a range of maladies including heart disease, osteoporosis and depression.

Best of all, they won’t stretch you’re food budget very far unlike fresh tuna or wild salmon.

And if you’re thinking: “Eww, sardines.” Give them a try again. Some companies like Wild Planet are producing really great tasting canned sardines.

Of course, they work great in sandwiches as was the case for this sardine sandwichwith walnut spread recipe I developed for Alive magazine. But one of my favorite ways to use up a couple of tins in the pantry is to create really easy sardine egg cakes such as the recipe below. Trust me, these don’t taste fishy at all. You’ll find that the sun-dried tomato sauce topping adds a wonderful flavor nuance, but make sure to serve it at room temperature or slightly heated. Cold sauce straight out of the fridge was not ideal. In my opinion the smoked paprika really elevates this dish and it’s a spice I truly believe should be in more pantries.

So have I convinced anyone to reel-in sardines again?

Sardine Cakes with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

6 large eggs

2 tins sardines, packed in water

2 green onions, white and green parts, sliced thinly

1/3 cup chopped parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

Juice of 1/2 lemon

3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 sun-dried tomatoes, not oil packed

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Stir in sardines, green onions, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Divide among 10 medium sized muffin cups and bake 18 minutes or until eggs are set.

To make the sauce, place soaked tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid, olive oil, vinegar and thyme in a blender or food processor container and blend until smooth. Add additional liquid if needed to help with blending. Serve sardines cakes topped with tomato sauce.