Issue 01: SARDINES!
The Teresa Barbie of Tinned Fish
Welcome to the first issue of ENJOY BY! If you signed up before even reading this newsletter, thank you for your blind encouragement! You are the wind beneath my wings.
For the premiere issue, we’re talking about SARDINES which is a new player in my diet. Aside from cartoons, sardines didn’t enter my consciousness until an ex of mine, who would insist that his creation of sardines, cannellini beans, and avocado, all mashed together, was brilliant. Sounded mushy to me, but I appreciated the nutritional value of the paste. Since then, I have been consciously making an effort to consume them more often, but in different ways. You should as well. Why not! Alison Roman may be giving anchovies all of the spotlight these days, but sardines deserve their day in the sun.
PURCHASING
At the grocery store, because sardines are tinned and have a long shelf life, you are going to find these bad boys in the center aisles of the store. (Perishable items are typically found around the perimeter of the store. Ex: dairy, meat, produce, etc.)
How to choose which sardines to purchase? First, decide how you are going to eat them. If the sardines are going to be eaten right out of the tin, I would consider a more artisanal option, packed in olive oil or maybe a spicy tomato sauce. Should you find yourself staring down a tin of sardines you just found in your pantry or in an aisle of the grocery store you usually don’t frequent, go ahead and toss those into a sauce or pasta, although they are more than likely to be delicious on their own. Do not buy rusted or punctured cans!
If you would like to be sure that you are buying sustainably-caught sardines, check out the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch or look for tins with a Marine Stewardship Council logo.
Got some cash burning in your pocket and wanna buy some fancy fish? For IRL shopping, definitely hit specialty grocers, especially with European imports. Because most of us are quarantined right now, websites like Mercato can help you find specialty shops that deliver in your area.
For those who do not have that option, Boston natty wine/sardine bar haley.henry has a lot of European options for sale on their website with really beautiful packaging that is fun to look at, even if you don’t decide to buy any. The Maiden Lane online shop is open and for my fellow New Yorkers, the restaurant is also doing a to-go service! Offerings usually include their spicy sauce, bloody mary mix, and various tinned fish. (Both restaurants are currently closed because of COVID, so purchasing from them can also check off that philanthropic box if you’re into that kinda thing.)
I have also compiled a sardine list on Amazon that you can find here, made of brands that I am familiar with and would recommend. (No sponcon here folks, just ruthless, watchdog, tinned fish journalism!)
PREPARATION
New to the taste of sardines, I have found myself eating them a few times without truly enjoying them, which happens to be my current idea of what it means to be an adult. I found a sardine “rillettes” recipe, which was thrilling because it is basically a recipe of just cream cheese and sardines. As someone who as a child used to snack on Philadelphia cream cheese with a butterknife, this appealed to me. (Cream cheese also helped me see the light of chicken liver mousse which, if made well, will include our pal cream cheese.)
I decided to make this my first attempt at consuming sardines because I am a weenie and figured it would mask most of the fishiness of the sardines. I didn’t exactly follow the recipe, but went ahead and mixed a couple boneless sardine fillets, cream cheese, chopped scallions, grated fresh garlic, Tart marigold vinegar, Brightland Alive olive oil, and salt n pep, slowly increasing the amounts of each to taste. I hit those with some Mary’s Gone crackers and a seltzer and wondered when I could go to Maiden Lane again and do this outside with a cocktail and people around.
Honestly, it was good! But not great. A couple days later I baked *the* Tandem Bakery biscuits and topped them with the remainder of my sardines. This was great! I also added some homemade pesto to my bites and had a long think about the greatness of butter. Going forward I will probably just go ahead and top my salads bowls, or toasts with those lil omega-3 bombs, pairing them with sauces that are bright and acidic (think citrus and/or spice) which will complement the saltiness and oil of the fish.
If you would also prefer to not go the pseudo-pâté route, you could try this sardine tonnato recipe, which is begging to be slathered on a roast pork sandwich or maybe a sardine salad sandwich, in the egg-salad vein? A pasta riff with sardines would work well with flavors like fennel, pine nuts, and golden raisins. If you prefer a pasta recipe try this one from Eataly, or these NYT Cooking recipes, like this one from David Tanis (Chez Panisse living lej, his book Market Cooking is beautiful) or this recipe from Mark Bittman. (also a living lej who wrote seminal cooking texts like How to Cook Everything!)
STORAGE
If you are unable to polish off an entire tin in one sitting, refrigerate and cover the opened tin. Those will last 3-4 days in your fridge. I covered my tin with aluminum foil and it kept well for 3 days in my fridge. If you want to freeze the sardines, place in an airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag. They will keep for at least three months, however they will be a bit softer in texture after freezing and thawing. Not necessarily a negative, just a detail to keep in mind!
If defrosted in the fridge, you can keep them for 3-4 days. If you thaw sardines in the microwave or in cold water, use immediately.
REMEMBER: “ENJOY BY”, “BEST BY”, “BEST BEFORE”, “BEST WHEN/IF USED BY”, ARE NOT SAFETY DATES! These dates are issued by the manufacturer, estimating how long the sardines will remain at “peak quality”. THE BEST WAY TO DISCERN QUALITY IS THE SMELL TEST!
If the sardines develop an off odor, flavor, appearance, or if you see mold, TOSS EM!
Thanks for reading! For any and all questions, comments, concerns, or topic suggestions please reach out! enjoyby@maggiemcglinchy.com
Love mine packed in olive oil and then add Tabasco or Louisiana hot sauce. Just eaten with crackers. Interesting post, early reviews on two of my favorites, Sardines and Buttermilk.
I grew up without consistent electric coverage, and so we always had sardines on hand as shelf-stable protein. So glad to see them gaining a little bit of popularity. I'm used to just eating them on crackers, but have no crackers and am otherwise well-stocked (trying not to venture out or order for small buys!) so I'm grateful for the other ideas. Not sure why pasta never occurred to me...