Sardine Sandwich

A classic sardine sandwich is basically just a tuna salad sandwich made with sardines. But I think we can do one better. Instead of actually going to the trouble of making sardine salad and then using that in a sandwich, we’re going to assemble a sardine salad layer-by-layer right on the sandwich. It’s a fantastic lunch and a true lazy person’s feast. There’s no mixing bowl to wash afterwards, and everything comes together in minutes.

Jump to the recipe to hit the ground running, or read on if you want to get a little more creative.

Sardine sandwich substitutions

The sandwich in this recipe is classic, but you can absolutely mix things up with other ingredients. Have some roasted kale? Go ahead and use it in place of the lettuce! Want to go in a different flavor direction? Use your favorite furikake in place of the black pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Feeling like loading up on veggies with cucumber, sprouts, and avocado? Sounds great!

Just remember my 5 sandwich rules if you’re building your own:

1. Separate any slippery ingredients with grippy ingredients. For instance, don’t pile cucumbers on top of the tomato slices. Instead, layer the cucumbers on the first piece of lettuce and put the tomatoes under the top piece of lettuce.
2. Give sprinkly items something to cling to. We smashed the celery and green onion into the sardines to give them something to stick to. Do the same with any capers, olives, or anything else that looks like confetti or that might roll away.
3. Create a moisture barrier. That’s what those 2 pieces of lettuce are doing. If you do away with them, your bread will become soggy pretty quickly. But you can always substitute another leafy item, or even a slice of cheese.
4. Keep hot ingredients away from delicate ingredients: Like, if you want to turn this into an SBLT, careful not to put hot, sizzling bacon right on the lettuce. Let it cool first or sandwich between the sardines and tomatoes.
5. Manage your proportions: A good sandwich has a sound structure, so don’t go overboard with too many ingredients. If you’re including many different ingredients, slice everything a bit more thinly than you’d think. Also be sure to add a bit less of each one.

A quick note on sardines

I’m a big sardine person and eat them with breakfast almost every day, so friends and readers often ask me for my favorite brand. I’ve tried everything from super pricey ones from a high-end department store in Tokyo to generic Trader Joes ones (and everything in between). And I think it’s much more about finding a brand that you prefer than discovering the one “correct”/”best” brand. My favorite sardines cost $3/tin and are usually BOGO. My dad swears by Kirkland brand ones. If you like sardines, it’s honestly kind of hard to go wrong!

Print