Sardines

Let's talk about sardines, and let's be honest with each other.

A small oily fish, and that word "oily" is the whole story. Sardines carry fat right through the flesh, not just under the skin, so cooked right, they stay juicy and glossy, flaking soft off the bone instead of falling apart dry and chalky. Raw, that flesh holds around 208 kcal per hundred grams, with fat near 11 and a half and protein close to 25 — this is a fish built to feed you, not to decorate a plate.

Choose sardines by the eye and the smell, nothing else. The eye should be clear, almost bulging, never sunken. The skin should shine like wet metal. And the smell — good sardines smell of the sea, clean and mineral. If it smells like fish, walk away. That fish is already old.

Some people say sardines are too fatty, too heavy, best avoided. No. Fat is exactly what keeps them tender and what carries their flavor. That misconception pushes cooks to trim, to overcook, to drown the fish in lemon out of fear — and that is how you ruin a good sardine and end up with a dry, sour disappointment instead of dinner.