White Trash

Regrettably, my wife despises sardines. So I get banished from the house whenever I eat them.

I love sardines b/c they're naturally salty, but not overwhelmingly so, like say anchovies). They're also a great natural source of calcium, which I don't ever get enough of since I am not a milk drinker or cheese lover.

Sardines are also super easy to prepare dishes with! I hardly ever eat them straight out of a can like some previous posters though. I prefer to add sardines as the main "meat" to my dishes. A staple one is this pasta toss.

Sardine Pasta Toss

Ingredients
8 oz. Pasta (half box). I like tri-color spiral, but penne and ziti also works well.
1 can sardines in water, strained**
1-2 tablespoons olive oil (if using sardines canned in oil, use 1 tbs or just the oil in the can)
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely diced
2 plum tomato(es), diced
1 can whole or sliced olives
chopped cilantro
salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

1. Cook pasta al dente.
2. Strain pasta, and do a quick rinse to stop cooking and lessen the stickiness of the pasta.
3. Heat oil, saute garlic in a medium pan or pot.
4. Allow garlic to cook very briefly. Do not let garlic turn brown.
5. Remove pan from heat.
6. Add pasta & toss to coat with garlic and oil.
7. Add sardines & toss.
8. Add tomatoes, olives, cilantro, salt and pepper & toss. (Optional: add canned beans of your choice)

Serves 2, more or less, depending on serving size. Can be served warm or cold.

If you plan to serve cold, make sure the oil coats the pasta, otherwise, it will all stick together. Reheats well in microwave too.
*I use rice pasta and it still works fine.
** You can substitute tofu, tuna or chicken, but I like sardines best for this dish!