Sardines: Your Questions Answered (If You Had Any)

Hence the phrase "packed like sardines".

I decided to indulge my morbid curiosity and finally try sardines.

I bought sardines packed in olive oil, and also the sardines packed in spring water, and tried them both. Now for the Q&A.


Q.: What did they taste like?
A.: Short answer: canned fish. More nuanced answer: the sardines in olive oil tasted like albacore tuna. The sardines in spring water were different, blander, and I can't explain it well. But it might pass for tuna if enough mayonnaise was added.

Q.: What motivated you to try sardines?
A.: They are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are "brain food", as well as being beneficial in numerous other ways. Also, I also seldom eat tuna, because of the concerns about mercury. I have already gone through heavy metals detox, which sounds like it should involve Alice Cooper or something cool, but involves IV treatments. I'd rather not undo that.

Q.:What about bones? It must be hard to pick tiny bones out of tiny fish?
A.: While the spines are easy to pull out, deboning is not necessary. The bones are soft and small, and you can just eat them, they add a little crunchiness to the texture. Also, it's a good source of calcium.

Q.: What about sodium?
A.: The brand I bought had 250 mg in the can packed in oil, 200 mg in the can packed in spring water (no salt added). 10% and 8% of the daily value.

Q.: How do you serve sardines?
A.: I was eating them straight from the can (after draining them) because I was home alone and that's when I get lazy. Here are the serving suggestions from the cans.
Packed in oil: "Delicious on crackers, bread, toast, sandwich wraps, or straight from the can. Add to your next open-faced broiled cheese sandwich."
Packed in spring water is similar, but ends with "Add to your next green salad".

Q.: Would you buy them again?
A.: Maybe, if it was on sale at the right price point. (I got these 5/$6, ie: $1.20 each.)