Cardamom and Tea

Sardine Sandwich

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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
sardine sandwich

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.
sardine sandwich
sardine sandwich

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!

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Sardine Sandwich

sardine sandwich
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  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 sandwich*

Ingredients

  • 2 slices of bread (divided)
  • One 4.4oz [125g] can of sardines,**
  • 2 leaves of lettuce (divided)
  • 2 tsp mayo
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 1 Tbsp thinly sliced celery
  • 1 Tbsp thinly sliced green onions
  • Black pepper
  • Salt
  • Garlic powder (optional)
  • Tomato slices

Instructions

  1. Toast the bread.
  2. Drain the can of sardines very well. While they are still in the tin, crush them up slightly with a fork.
  3. Place the first piece of lettuce one slice of bread. Place the crushed sardines on the lettuce. Top evenly with mayo, lemon juice, mustard, celery, green onions, black pepper, salt, and garlic powder (all 3 spices to taste). Mash everything gently with the back of a fork to distribute more-or-less evenly.
  4. Top with an even layer of tomato slices, a little more salt, the second lettuce leaf, and the other slice of bread. Cut in half and enjoy right away.

Notes

* If you’d like to make more than 1 sandwich, just repeat this process with as many as you’d like to make. It’s more of an assembly-style recipe, so it’s very easy to scale up without having to think about it.

** If oil-packed, scale back slightly on the mayo. You can use either oil-packed or water-packed in whatever flavor you’d like.

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Sardine Toast

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The secret to the ultimate sardine toast is a 30-second step that most recipes skip entirely.

I’ll get to that in the next paragraph, but real quick: What’s to love about this recipe? It’s delicious with whatever you’ve got in your fridge! You just need a spread (hummus, pesto, avocado, you name it), one or two toppings, sardines, and crusty bread. The toast in these photos is made with hummus, tomato, red onion, and lemon, but it’s hard to go wrong.

Okay, onto that 30-second step: We must fillet them! Just use your fork to split the sardine in half lengthwise, just like cracking open an English muffin. It’s nothing like filleting a whole raw fish. Filleting creates the perfect shape for laying flat on toast. Sardines that have not been filleted have a tendency to slip and slide away from you with each bite. Filleted sardines stay put (as they should!).

Jump to the recipe to hit the ground running, or read on for a bit more on how/why to fillet them and how to get creative with sardine toast.

sardines in an open can
filleted sardines

Filleting sardines (it’s as easy as opening an English muffin)

How to: You just take the sardine, look for the “seam” on its back, wedge a fork in, and split it in half lengthwise. They split cleanly apart, leaving two perfectly flat halves that lay beautifully on toast. See the video in the recipe card at the end of this post if you’re more of a visual learner.

Why to: Whole sardines are a bit annoying on toast or in a sandwich. They’re just not the right shape to lay flat on bread, which leads to a lack of structural integrity. And you might think that the key to a great sandwich is high-quality ingredients, but it’s actually structural integrity.

Putting a whole sardine on a sandwich is a bit like putting a whole cherry tomato on a sandwich (instead of a sliced one). Good luck getting it to stay where you placed it!

Silvery-side-out or bones-side-out: Filleting creates a fun dilemma: You get to decide whether to display the sardines skin-side-out or bone-side-out. I’m personally a bones-side-out person because I think they look cool. Most people disagree with me, which is why I styled 100% of these photos skin-side out. You can also alternate. You do you!

sardine toast
sardine toast

Getting creative with sardine toast

This recipe is super adaptable. You just need a spread, some bread, a can of sardines, and one or two toppings. In the photos in this post, I used hummus, tomato, red onion, and lemon. That is my favorite way to make sardine toast when I have very little on hand.

The notes at the bottom of the recipe below list a bunch of common ingredients, but you can go even further afield.

Leftover chimichurri from dinner last night? Use it! Got some leftover cucumbers and peppers from making fattoush? Slice them thinly and throw them on there! Call me crazy, but I’ve even made sardine toast with hummus and a tiny bit of lemon curd for some sweet-and-sour flavor. The sky is the limit, and experimenting can only go so wrong here. After all, it’s just a can of sardines. Live a little!

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Sardine Toast (with any ingredients)

sardine toast
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Use this recipe with whatever ingredients you’d like! There are suggestions in the notes at the end. The ones pictured here are made with hummus, tomato, red onion, and lemon.

  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 can of sardines
  • 2 slices of crusty bread
  • Your favorite spread* (e.g., hummus)
  • Toppings** (e.g., red onion, tomato, and lemon)
  • Salt

Instructions

  1. Fillet your sardines: Use a fork to break each one open, lengthwise along the seam (see video).
  2. Toast your bread in a countertop toaster.
  3. Spread your favorite spread over each piece of toast.
  4. Arrange the toppings and sardines over the spread. Season to taste.

Notes

* Spreads (pick 1):

  • Hummus
  • Guacamole
  • Avocado with lemon
  • Pesto
  • Smashed sundried tomatoes in oil
  • Tapenade

** Toppings (pick 1-3):

  • Red onions (pickled or thinly sliced)
  • Leafy herbs (cilantro, dill, parsley)
  • Sliced green onions
  • Sliced tomato
  • Sliced olives
  • Capers
  • Sliced cucumbers
  • Lemon or lime wedges

(Or use whatever spreads and toppings you’ve got! These are just suggestions.)

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