Recipe: Sardine Snacking Toasts

updated Feb 3, 2020
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(Image credit: Maria Siriano)

Fact: Canned sardines are polarizing. You either love ’em or hate ’em. If you’re in the love ’em camp, here’s an easy snack (or even a light lunch!) that celebrates canned sardines and pairs them with tangy pickled onions, zesty Dijon mustard, and nutty crispbreads.

(Image credit: Maria Siriano)

I find canned sardines intensely fishy, so other strong flavors are needed to balance everything out. Quick-pickled onions are just the ticket — they’re easy to make with pantry ingredients and have a nice, tart bite that mellows out the natural spiciness of the onion, and the leftovers are fabulous in a sandwich or salad.

As for the actual sardines, you can use whichever kind you like — oil-packed or water-packed will work just fine. I dare say even canned tuna or salmon would be great in place of the sardines, but don’t forget the smear of mustard on top of the cracker! It’s what brings everything together.

Sardine Snacking Toasts

Makes 4 toasts

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

For the pickled onions:

  • 1

    small red onion (about 5 ounces)

  • 1/2 cup

    rice vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar

  • 1/2 cup

    water

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    granulated sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    fine salt

For the toasts:

  • 4

    Wasa crispbreads

  • 4 teaspoons

    Dijon mustard

  • 1

    (3.5 ounce) can sardines

Instructions

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For the pickled onions:

  1. Peel and halve the onion lengthwise. Thinly slice the halves and set aside.

  2. Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from the heat, add the onion, and stir to combine, making sure all the onions are submerged in the liquid. Let sit for 15 minutes before using. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

For the toasts:

  1. Spread a teaspoon of mustard on each crispbread. Divide the sardines among the crispbreads and gently smash into an even layer with the back of a fork. Place a thin layer of pickled red onions over the sardines (save the remaining onions for another use) and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Sardines: Oil- or water-packed sardines are both fine to use in this recipe; just use a fork to lift the fish out of the packing liquid.