An Open Letter

Dear Sirs and/or Madams,

Hi! How are you? I hope this blog post finds you well. Me? I''m ok. Wait. Not really. I need to get something off my chest and I hope I can steal a moment or two of your time.

After many months of soul-searching, consultations with family, advisers, clergy and significant others, it has come to my attention that there is something I can no longer hide and must respectfully reveal to you. I don't want this to affect our relationship in any way whatsoever, and I'm hoping that my revelation will be met with compassion, understanding, and nary a flicker of grimace or snarl that I've come to expect whenever I begin to talk about what I must say to you here.

I love tinned sardines.

There. I said it! And.... there you go. I knew this would happen, I just knew it! Come back! Please, I'm not finished yet. Please?

Ok, thanks. So listen, I want you to know that I'm really the same person you've always known. And even though you've the first to serve up a big giant plate of snark and disapproval whenever I take out that distinctive tin can at lunch I want you to know that I don't hold that against you. And no, it doesn't upset me either when you ask me for the 35th time if I'm "really going to eat that?" and you'll be happy to know I don't hold it against you that you believe my love of tinned fish gives you an excuse to pass judgment on my meal. In fact I almost find it comical watching your face contort and twist in disgust as if I just committed the crime of the century or said you wore granny drawers or still sucked your thumb as an adult or something rude like that.

But as of today, enough is enough. I'm coming out of the closet, so to speak, and professing my love for tinned fish. And here's why:

1. I happen to like the way they taste. Rich and distinctive with a soft to medium-firm texture, I've always loved their flavor and if I can't find fresh sardines (a term used to describe a whole variety of small fish) to cook myself then the canned variety suits me just fine. And please remember that "fishy" is subjective.

2. They pack some pretty powerful nutrients. They have a decent amount of omega-3 fatty acids and are also great sources of iron. How can you argue?

3. I've enjoyed them since I was a wee lad. That's right -- I've eaten them as long as I can remember, thanks to my dad who would share the tangy flavor of sardines in mustard sauce with a few saltine crackers with me as a snack. So when you feel the need to knock this diminutive, smelly and often maligned fish, you're gonna have to go through Pops.

4. They make me happy. A few high-quality sardines packed in oil, a hunk of baguette and a few celery stalks and I'm as happy as a clam. Or sardine. In a can. I am. You get the picture.

Now that I've said my peace I think it's best if we grow together and move forward. Next time you see me carting around that little unmistakable can I hope you realize it's my lunch you're making fun of and that you'll think twice before knocking it. And if you're lucky I might even let you have one.

Just kidding.

................................................................................................................

Sardine and Celery Salad adapted from Food & Wine Magazine

Hot damn! You have no idea how much better I feel now. Seriously. And now that I have that off my chest I'd like to recommend this little salad that appeared a few years ago in Food & Wine. It makes a nifty little lunch when paired with rye crackers or bread, and it's so flavorful that you needn't make much. Imported high quality sardines from Spain or Portugal are the best in my humble opinion, and make sure you also use a high quality mustard. You know what they say about better ingredients and all. The original recipe called for cilantro but I prefer parsley with the sardines.

Ingredients
1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons grainy mustard (make sure it's good!)
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Four 4 3/8-ounce cans sardines in oil, drained and coarsely chopped
4 large celery ribs, peeled and cut into 1-inch matchsticks
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
In a large bowl, mix the parsley with the olive oil, grainy and Dijon mustards, red onion and the lemon juice and zest. Fold in the sardines and celery and season with salt and pepper. Chill and serve or pack in a plastic container. Enjoy with rye crackers.

Comments

[Lito S,]

Sardines remind me of my dad. He always used to eat them on saltines. Pig's feet too.

[Abba]

Ah, you know, I remember taking sardines to grade school for lunch one time, and was so shocked by the peer response to my little tin, that I basically swore off of them ever more.

How silly of me - I may have to go grab a tin & rekindle my like of the sardine.

[Christina]

Do not fear, some folks will still love you -- although your entourage might have lessened somewhat. However, being a pickled herring -- pickled, salted, cured in lemon juice - lover I can relate to the gagging comments and the loneliness when all of a sudden you're all by yourself around the table.

:-) Sardines have one thing in favor -- they come in pretty cans.

[David]

I like sardines too. But I prefer to go to my fish market and buy them fresh. It's not that the tinned ones aren't easy to prepare. It's just that there's something irresistible about going to the fish market.

So when you come to visit, I guess we'll skip the fish market since you prefer the canned ones.

Pity.

[matt]

DAVID, NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! I can't skip the fish market I can't I can't I can't!

[Liz]

You have no idea how relieved I am by this post. I'm not the only one! I tried them in Greece for the first time, fresh, gorgeous, and fried whole, and when I came back, wasn't quite so suspicious of the canned variety. Seriously, I didn't know what I was missing out on for all those years.

[reya]

Hello! My name is Reya and I'm a sardinoholic!
Feels like you've written this letter in my name Matt. Fave way of eating them: mashed with chopped onions and a bit of chili pepper. Yum!

[Trudy]

I'm a sucker for canned sardines too Matt, so you're not alone :)

Here's one of my favorite canned sardine recipes. Hope you enjoy it!

Sardine Toast Topper

4 oz (120g) canned sardines in water or oil - drained
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons capers - rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 slices of whole grain bread - toasted and lightly buttered
2 lemon wedges for serving

MASH together the sardines, lemon juice, capers, salt and pepper in a bowl until well combined. SPREAD equal amounts of the mixture over the pieces of lightly buttered toast and serve with lemon wedges for drizzling.

[Tony Clark]

Matt,
Your post reinforced why I liked you. When I was a young boy, my Dad would open a can of sardines, put them on a cracker and garnish with a little mustard. As Alton would say, "good eats".

[Matt Wright]

Hey, sardines are good. Really really good. I wouldn't be embarrassed :D

I used to put tinned sarnines on toast when I was a lad, living far far away from the sea. Heck, I used to use them as bait for fishing too.. I never caught anything though, the bait always got eaten.

Living on the ocean, I find it pretty easy to get fresh sardines. I love them on toast with a some roasted beets and almond puree.

All good stuff

[lobstersquad]

Way to go, Matt, don´t let the snarky ones win. Nobody is anything other than respectful of tinned sardines here, of course, but still, it´s good to know that there are supporters all over.

[helen]

You're funny as always, Matt.

There is a book written by a Vancouver author years ago called "Tin Fish Gourmet". It's available through Amazon. I think you'll like it.

[Foodwoolf]

I might not eat them straight out of the tin, but when they look as good as they do in your photos, I don't know why I haven't started.

Brooke

[Caro]

Me love sardines long time. They're always in my pantry (anchovies too!). I love the recipe above with the capers and lemon. Yeah, fresh sardines are glorious, but they're not around here that often (in season).

Moroccan sardines are pretty damn tasty too, with a little hot pepper inside.

[Audrey]

I really love tinned sardines smushed on toast. Such a treat. Except if you bring them as a treat on the plane and then it all gets very stinky. I learned this the hard way

[The Guilty Carnivore]

I like the ghetto tins you can pick up in Asian stores that are seeped in spicy tomato sauce. As a kid we'd nuke them for 30 seconds, pull out the backbone, and eat them with plain, steamed Jasmine rice.

Did I say as a kid? I do that now.

I do like the fancy Bela Olhao brand from Portugal you can get at the organic store, too.

[brett]

Am I the only one who would have been upset if I had learned that you didn't like canned sardines? Probably, huh. Thankfully, that isn't the case. I always knew you had a good head on your shoulders. Canned sardines from Spain, Portugal, or France are all top quality. In France, I've read a few aficionados favor vintage sardines. They treat them like a fine wine, turning the cans over every few months, and age them for up to 7 years. All in all, you're in good company, Matt.

[sonya]

yum, love those little fishies!!

[Kim]

My mom use to pack these for lunch once a week till I was tormented and traumatized by a bully in 3rd grade for eating sardines for lunch. Haven't eaten one since. But I might just have to get over the trauma and give it a go just for the memories.

[superluckykitchen]

ok, im gonna try this salad. i am going to do it, im scared, sardines huh? they sure do look good...

[Diane]

Man, I love them too. But don't do what a lady seated next to me on a cross-country flight did last year, which was to pull out a tin and start eating. I was asleep and through my sleepy haze I thought - "cat food...." - "why do I smell catfood?". I opened my eyes and in HORROR saw that I was seated next to an open can of sardines.

No matter how yummy those little suckers are, it's not nice to sit next to a can of them in a confined space for an hour. Blecch.

[Christie]

Sardines remind me of my Dad... it's the only thing he knows how to prepare himself for lunch. He especially likes the ones in tomato sauce and mops them up with Lebanese flat bread.

As a result, I do this too. There. I've told the world. Phew, I feel good. Thanks Matt. :)

[radish]

I'm glad you came clean - I LOVE canned sardines!! And since you like them, I'll tell you something else too. If you go to a Russian grocery store, ask them for Sprats -- if they speak no English, say "Schproti" then describe a round flat can with a black & gold writing on it. Those are SOOOOO good.

[Jerry]

Matt,
I think I've got 4 tins in the cupboard, along with several of smoked oysters, and I'm not giving them up for anyone! I prefer the Mediterranean Packed, which I use often for a quick little Meze.

So if you feel like opening a tin, remember there are a lot of us who would happily sit with you!

[Clare K.]

Adam, do not be ashamed! I grew up on buttered toast with canned sardines and I loved them then and still love them. It's practically comfort food for me. Be proud of your sardine love!