Consider the Little Fishes

We're switching gears from South Asia and talking a bit about a newly discovered love: sardines and anchovies.

...I realize with that statement, I probably just lost a lot of readers, but if you're still with me, I ask you to stick around.

I distinctly remember an evening when I was in high school, and I had some friends over for dinner. My dad ordered us pizzas, and when the delivery guy showed up at the front door and handed us our pies, we were immediately olfactorily assaulted by an anchovy pizza which my dad thought "might be fun to try." Being a high school girl, I was appalled and mortified that my dad would order something as gross as anchovy pizza for me and my friends, and we refused to have anything to do with it. Luckily, I've wised up.

Oil packed sardines aren't actually all that fishy tasting, and the same can be said for good quality anchovies. Some of the bigger ones are pretty meaty, and actually reminded me a bit of canned tuna in their taste. Anchovies and sardines are both high in Omega 3 fatty acids, those good fats that "everyone" has been telling us to eat. They are versatile, inexpensive, and, the best part (in my opinion), environmentally sustainable. Since they're at the bottom of the fish food chain, they don't have a buildup of mercury or other toxins in their systems, and there's a lot of them.

For some time now, these little fish have been making appearances in my cooking through the use of anchovy paste. Mixing a tablespoon or so into pasta sauces, soups, and stews adds a boost of that ever-mysterious-yet-delicious "umami" flavor, a depth of taste that you just can't quite put your finger on.

I've also tried a couple sardine based recipes at my family's holiday dinners, the most recent being this one from Saveur. (I used sardines instead of anchovies.) After reading the "Sandwich Issue" of a recent Saveur magazine, I was inspired to pick up a couple of tins and try out a sardine sandwich:

Using some ingredients I had around the house, I riffed on the original recipe and came up with that lovely bagel sandwich pictured above. With sardines (or anchovies), the key is to pair them with ingredients that help to cut the oily-saltiness. In this case, a toasted bagel, smeared with Dijon mustard, and topped with spring lettuce mix and pickled ramps gave some textural variety to the sandwich, with the ramps adding a vinegary crunch to help tame the sardines.

I also found that a piece of sardine on a cracker spread with cream cheese makes a really nice afternoon snack, provided of course, you brush your teeth before you visit with friends. I've tried the oil packed and smoked varieties of sardines and anchovies thus far, and find them both delicious, but you should really find out for yourself. So, get out there and give the little fish a chance...

(Need a place to start? check out these recommendations on Chow.com for sardines, this anchovy spread by Jacques Pepin and this post on anchovies.)