Spanish Tomato & Sardine Salad | HEALTHY & Delicious 10 Minute Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can I eat sardines in tomato sauce every day? ›

While canned sardines are a low-mercury fish choice, Manaker notes, "eating them frequently—as in more than four times a week—may be a concern, since you could potentially be exposed to too much [mercury]." While this shouldn't scare you (especially if you're consuming less than 8 ounces per week), it's important to ...

20 WAYS TO EAT A SARDINE + RECIPES

Sauté in oil, garlic, onions, and tomato with a bit of lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Gets rid of fishy smell and taste, and eat with a bowl of rice! Make a dip: Mash together sardines, mayo, chopped parsley, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Eat sardines straight out of the can.

You don't need a complicated recipe to enjoy sardines! Simply grab a fork and eat them straight out of the can for a healthy, protein-packed snack. You could add a drizzle of lemon juice, hot sauce, or balsamic vinaigrette on top if you want.

Because sardines contain purines, which break down into uric acid, they aren't a good choice for those at risk of kidney stone formation. The high sodium in sardines can also increase calcium in your urine, which is another risk factor for kidney stones.

Sardines canned in oil have similar amounts of omega-3 to canned sardines in tomato sauce. Choosing a product with tomato sauce provides the additional heart health benefits of lycopene , a carotenoid present in tomatoes.

Sardines in olive oil taste better - arguably. Sardines in water have roughly half as much fat, but the amount of saturated fat isn't a lot higher in olive oil-packed sardines. In other words sardines in olive oil have more fat, but it's the good stuff.

Sardines and heart health

Sardines provide significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA). These fatty acids protect both your heart and your brain from disease. They do this by reducing blood pressure. High blood pressure harms many organs, but the chief dangers are to the heart and brain.

They are also a low-mercury fish, so it's safe to eat them if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Since sardines are highly perishable (meaning they go bad quickly), they are most often found canned.

When using canned fish, you can drain the liquid (e.g., water, extra virgin oil, or sauce) from the can before incorporating it into your recipes, which will help reduce the sodium if you're watching your sodium intake for any reason. Perhaps I need to do a side-by-side taste test…

But what to do with this oil once you have eat or drained your sardines? There are many quick and easy recipes for reusing the extra virgin olive oil from canned sardines. In vinaigrette, marinade for your seafood products, seasoning on your favorite dishes (pies, pizza, etc.), cooking oil for your potatoes, etc.

What canned fish is healthiest? ›

Sardines. Sardines are a favorite among dietitians for many reasons: They are high in protein, nutrient-dense and low in mercury. In fact, sardines came in as the healthiest fish, according to registered dietitian and TODAY.com contributor Samantha Cassetty.

Here are some pairing suggestions to get you started though: Sardines with Sauvignon Blanc and Manchego cheese: The bright, zesty flavors of the Sauvignon Blanc complement the oily, slightly salty flavor of the sardines, while the nutty flavor of Manchego cheese adds a complimenting touch.

Serve the sardines in tomato sauce over rice, garnish with green onions and season to taste with soy sauce.

Outside the seaside context, fresh sardines are cooked every which way but grilled. Also hailing from Málaga is a traditional dish, moraga de sardinas, which shows them off in a simple casserole with tomato, onion, green pepper, garlic, white wine and lemon.

"Sardines are known to have arsenic in them. Because of this, and because of the fact that sardines also can be contaminated with mercury, they should not be eaten more than three to four times a week, one can at a time," says MH advisor Abby Langer, RD, author of Good Food, Bad Diet.

Tomato sauce should be consumed sparingly. Despite being low in calories, with around 15 calories per tablespoon, a serving of tomato sauce will usually contain 160mg of sodium of the recommended 920mg per day. Many also come with various kinds of salts, vinegar and onion powder to make it even tastier.

High Cholesterol

While your body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells, high levels of cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease. One can of sardines (3.75 oz) contains 131 mg of dietary cholesterol, representing 44% of the daily recommended cholesterol intake.