Why thank you A.I. for the photo – because I wanted to show what most people think of when they hear the words “tinned fish.” Served on a piece of toasted bread with a lemon wedge.
I, however, had another thought and here’s how it all began:
When my wife and I went to Lisbon for a terrific New Year’s trip, we fell in love with the “tinned fish” shops, showcasing so many kinds of seafood held in these small colorful packages!
We loaded up and brought a large box of them home with us!
Fast forward to this tin of Portuguese Sardines from that trip – not wanting to just drape the delicious tinned treat over a baguette, I found a recipe for Sardine Pasta with Lemon, and just decided to add a tin of Anchovies I had as well!
Here are some of the simple ingredients, from a recipe I found online – a Chef of Portuguese descent shared it – and later I will explain why that is so important:
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces pasta
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes spicy – use more or less to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
1 package Sardines in oil
1 package Anchovies in oil
5 tablespoons lemon juice or more to taste
3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
And then, the “controversial” final touch:
parmesan cheese grated to taste!
Let’s cook!
First, I opened the tins of sardines and anchovies and mashed them together in a bowl…and here is the video showing how tough it was for me to get them out of their tins!
Once that was done, I added the mixture to a frying pan and heated it up, adding chopped garlic. Note that I used the oil that was in the tins – just added a bit more because I love olive oil.
I cooked up some pasta and then added the tinned fish mixture over the top, squeezed lots of lemon and shaved parmesan over the top! More on that in a second, but here’s how it all came together:
The Finished Dish!
Well, not quite. The recipe calls for fresh parsley to sprinkle liberally over the top and I would agree – but I forgot to buy some!
Oops!
And….PARMESAN ON FISH?
An Italian friend immediately disparaged this dish because, being Italian, he said they NEVER put cheese on fish!
However, as I said at the beginning of this story, the recipe came from a Portuguese Chef, and they do it there – so there!
I really loved the rich, slightly salty flavor of the fish – not salted like the US heavily salts tinned fish, but just the natural flavor of the fish: briny, meaty and delicious – and the lemon juice gives the entire dish a nice pop!
I will make this again, as both of those fish are the healthiest you can eat….and we had so many great culinary adventures when we were in Lisbon – including these grilled sardines – check out our lunch on the water – literally!
We ate delicious grilled sardines while sitting on the edge of Lisbon’s Tagus River!
See what we ate and where we were perched while eating it here!
We also had dinner at Lisbon’s famous “Cervejaria Ramiro – all seafood like these incredible Scarlett Shrimp!
Oh, did I mention this is what they serve for dessert?
Yes, they are famous for serving a steak sandwich for dessert – and it’s delicious!
See our entire meal here!
And we sampled Lison’s iconic dessert while we were in Lisbon as well:
The “Pasteis de Nata!”
I ate them, and tried to make them – but ended up with something else!
Se the recipe and the explanation here:
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Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Cookbooks, Eat This!, Food, Food Travel, Food Writing, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
Thank you for the sardine pasta!!! Sardines are supposed to be super healthy and I’m not a fish fan, but decided this is one I have to try!
Sardines are the best fish for health – right there with salmon – the tinned sardines don’t have the saltiness of US versions…yes, they taste like fish but I loved it! Thanks for your note!
Hi John, my dad loves tinned sardines. I’ll have to try this recipe.
They are packed with healthy nutrients – best fish even more than salmon!
That is good to know. I like sardines
i loved the shops there too, the tins were little pieces of art and i’m going to try this recipe. also loved the little pastries !
Yes, Portugal was really terrific and we plan to go back – we have a co-worker who left the US to live there permanently!
Oh how wonderful. I love it all! And don’t mind the cheese at all. It’s sad many people are scared of anchovies and sardines. Love the tinned fish shop! I still haven’t been to Portugal..
You would LOVE Portugal. Nicest people, low low prices compared to some other countries, and the food is fresh and delicious…the cheese was a perfect “pop” for the dish – the fresh lemon of course as well! Cheers!
❤
I like kippers. I’ve never tried sardines or anchovies.
I bet they are all in the same family – full flavored “mini-fish!”
I simply cannot believe you have written about this now 🙂 ! Stemming from NE Europe I live on fish – yes, mostly the small healthy kind tho’ my herring and sardines and anchovies usually come in glass jars almost raw and slightly pickled ! Feeling guilty about buying fish imported in tins doing both the climate and the Australian economy harm, I have but lately bought an absolutely delightful pile of the kind of tins you show from one of our specialist shops here. OMG – what a difference . . . wake up in the morning planning for my usual daily smorrebrod to go with coffee, I now somehow cannot but open the cupboard of the ‘new stuff’ to open another tin! Haven’t cooked much with such – too greedy for the contents just on black or dark rye bread . . . but can see the contents of the tins on pasta . . . hmm, well . . . in my case not with cheese and not two fish mixed . . . but then it is hard to do what at the age of 2-3 you were taught not to do 🙂 🙂 🙂 !
Thanks for the note! I grew up on fresh fish in Seattle, so going “tinned” usually meant tuna in a small round can – but I plan to continue to increase my sardine consumption as it is so healthy for us…thanks as always for the interesting comments you share!
I used to make a similar pasta dish with smoked mackerel fillets, and I also put Parmesan cheese on it, breaking the ‘no cheese on fish’ rule quite happily. As for the Portuguese custard tarts, our nearest town has a long-established Portuguese community that began with seasonal farm workers. As a result, you can buy those delicious custard tarts in every local bakery or supermarket. We love them! Shared on Twitter, John.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks for sharing Pete…I am pushing myself too incorporate Sardines into my cooking more as it is so healthy….and smoked mackerel sounds delicious!
I stock up on Wild Planet sardines by the case. They’re so healthy. Can’t wait to make this. Thanks for the recipe and the Spain highlights.
Yes, so healthy…I dont eat them nearly enough but the tinned Portuguese fish is my reminder to do more…looking for more fresh sardines to grill as well…thanks for the note, great to hear from you!
Love sardines. Love pasta. Love the dish!
Thank you! I was very happy with it – so full of flavor!