Any tips to start liking sardines for someone who hates them

[Altontowersq]

I don't like fish aside from fish and chips but I've been hearing about the health benefits of sardines and bought some the other day in an attempt to get to like them. Initial taste was grim but manageable but I only had a teaspoon and it repeated on me all day. My partner said the same thing and he eats tuna etc normally. Any tips?

I usually have them mixed in with veggies (broccoli, okra, spinach, bell pepper, etc), and add various spices (turmeric, cumin, allspice, etc). Served with rice and lots of hot sauce.

It's one of my go-to meals that's good for using up produce that needs to be eaten.

Toast (well done), shitloads of cold butter, then the sardines in tomato sauce mashed, add lemon juice, pepper, sliced tomato/gherkin/dill pickles/something with sweetness and acidity. Add chilli like pickled jalapeno slices if you like spicy foods.

They need the other flavours to brighten them up. And carbs.

You'll be eating them straight from the tin in a short time. Tinned tuna is so bloody boring (and not oily, so no additional benefits) by comparison - unless you have it with mayo, lemon juice, black olives, chopped red pepper, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, crisp lettuce, freshly ground black pepper and a seeded roll or crispy baked potato/sweet potato.

There’s loads of oily fish that will give you health benefits that are easier to learn to love than tinned sardines. If you only eat battered white fish at the moment, then try salmon next, instead?

Thanks I really don't like salmon I've tried loads of times.

I love fish and some of the ideas on this thread sound incredible. My parents had sardines on toast regularly. Please be honest… can you feel the tiny bones as you eat them or are they so soft you don’t notice?

Finely chopped red onion, dash of wine / cider vinegar, mash and serve hot or cold on buttered toast

Another one saying try mackeral instead, I like sardines but can see why you wouldn't, mackeral much more user friendly.

Another mackerel lover here. Not so keen on sardines!

No, you honestly can't!

Mackerel is much more palatable than sardines and has lots of omega 3 and health benefits...

This thread has inspired me to try sardines again. I adore tuna but haven’t had sardines for years. Some of these suggestions sound delicious.

Salmon though - I have tried and tried and I just can’t get on with it. Any salmon tips!?

@Fallulah Hmm. I think if you really mind the bones, then you need to mash them. Or blitz with a bit of lemon juice, pepper and butter to make a pate.

I love sardines on toast, I have them regularly. But some of you are absolute monsters! I get the boneless ones in tomato sauce, mash them up and add them to hot, dry toast. They taste delicious and you don’t need to grill them, or add anything to them. You definitely don’t need to butter your toast.

I’m also very partial to tinned red salmon sandwiches (again, I buy the boneless stuff). Beautiful with brown bread.

I can’t stand pink salmon or tuna. They both taste quite metallic to me.

My grandmother used to do them under the grill:

Grill one side of bread
Mash tin of sardines in tomato sauce (remove backbone if preferred, they split easily)
Spread on non toasted side of bread
Grill sardine side up
Chop fresh tomatoes quite small
Add fresh toms and pepper to top sardines
Grill a bit longer
Add lashings of vinegar

I can taste it now - perfect after-school treat.

Ooh another vote for the parmentier sardines - I had the ones in tomato sauce last week and they were delicious 😋!

As op said, mash the ones in tomato sauce, mix with a little mayo and make into sandwiches with buttered bread or spread on buttered toast and grill.

Eat the sandwiches with fresh radishes from the garden, honey sandwiches and cake with cherries (inside and on top) with lashings of ginger beer: I trained my brood to eat sardines and radishes by making them into 'Famous Five picnic tea'. So it might work for you! You are right they are really good for you.

Sardine and fennel pasta

Iceland do the frozen one's. I can't eat any tinned fish the smell ugh... but grilled sardines with salad and widow potatoes are delicious.

I buy smoked mackerel. If OH catches them he smokes them and makes a pate which is good.

Make into fish cakes with mashed potato, lots of pepper and lemon juice. Shallow fry and serve with a green salad and frites.

Mash them up with lots if malt vinegar and have them on toast.

Thanks @JudyEdithPerry I’m not entirely convinced by ‘the spiciness is so overpowering you can’t really taste the salmon’ 😄 but I might be persuaded to give it a go

Lots and lots of fresh lemon squeezed over!

I'm a big fan of sardines, some of the ways I like them are...

Use to top pizza, pop onto the pizza before baking it, either whole, or split the sardines to remove the spine, if you prefer.

Mash, mix with tomato ketchup, and use to top baked potatoes.

Chop up and add to new potato, pea and vinaigrette salad.

Chop up and add to mixed bean salad, chopped tomatoes are a good addition to this too.

Chop up and add to Spanish or Caribbean rice.