Packed together like...

Sardines?
So I was recently reading yet another article listing off the newest version of "super foods" that we should all be eating. Almonds, salmon, and blueberries are all staples in each of these lists it seems, while the remaining seven (why is it that there are just 10 in a list?) seem to vary greatly from beets to honey to some random kind of walnut from the ice shelves of Antarctica. The latter they then seem to talk about as if it is the most readily available item in your local grocery store.

Right.

Well, in this recent article, sardines popped up in the magical list of things I should have started eating yesterday. Like many varieties of fish, it is a good source of protein, omega-3 fats, and EPA/DHAs. While it may not be quite up to the levels of salmon, it is a better source of all three than tuna (especially the canned kind). Unlike most fish, though, sardines are not entirely boned before consumption; their bone structure so soft and small that it is impossible to take it out (it is also entirely un-noticed when eating). So there is a considerable amount of calcium consumed by way of their small skeletal system. Quick run-down on nutritional facts:
1 cup of sardines:
310 calories, 17 grams of fat, 37 grams of protein, 57% of daily calcium, 25% of daily iron

Not too shabby for such a small fish.

Well, I was curious about the differences between anchovies- which are nearly impossible to find at my local grocery stores for some strange reason- and sardines. The former I enjoy throwing into a number of Italian dishes to bring a little bit more depth to other-wise acidic sauces and whatnot. At the glorious Devon Market, there is a fairly substantial number of varieties of sardines, so I grabbed two packages. One was packed in olive oil; the other, just water. Googling recipes for sardines, it seemed like most people use it in a way that is similar to canned tuna: paired with mayonaisse and put on sandwiches. Here is what I did:

Package of sardines (in water)
a few scoops of mayonaisse (same amount I would use when making tuna salad)
a few shakes of paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
diced up green olives
little bit of balsamic vinegar

Mix all together and serve on some kind of white bread (I happened to have a loaf of French bread that needed to be consumed).

Honestly, it was insanely delicious. I'm not a huge fan of tuna from a can, even in a well-made tuna salad sandwich. At best, I'm just kind of indifferent to that. This, however, had such a unique flavor and was suprisingly delicious. I'm sure if you are reading this far, you are probably shaking your head or even wrinkling your nose at the thought of sardines. Just try it sometime. A package of them will set you back maybe $1.50- $1.75. If you try it and hate it, that is entirely fine. I'm personally always excited to seek out new (or in this case, old-fashioned) things to incorporate into my cooking. Sardines may not be what I crave on a daily basis, but they will certainly be added to my rotation of sandwich fixings.