Sardine Butter
I realise sardines, and especially tinned sardines, are not to everyone’s taste, but please, please, please bear with me on this one. It is actually a proper delight and I’m really happy I gave it a go.
I always seem to have a reluctance for sardines, and particularly tinned sardines. I think it is the bones. There is some misconception of them stuck in my memory, that no matter how many times I try them and enjoy them, will not dislodge from my brain. Some kind of mental trick where one bad memory seems forever to over rule every other good experience. I think partly this is because in my head I’m thinking of the bones from fresh herring, not sardines. Which whilst edible, are an all round much more irritating experience than those of sardines, and especially tinned sardines. The bones in tinned sardines are normally somewhat crumbly and easily removed if you do not want to eat them.
But anyway. I came across this recipe on Friday after putting a request out over twitter for some recipe ideas. As a tradition I always eat fish on a Friday. It’s a bit sad to be so regimented I guess, but it is something which has stuck with me since being a child. A tradition in our family that my mum pretty much stuck to most of the time, even if more often than not it was just going to the chippy in the next village. This Friday I had no fish or seafood in the house, except a tin of sardines, which had been at the back of the cupboard for I don’t know how many years. I think it may even have moved with me from my old house.
The recipe can be seen in the image above. For info 1 oz is 28.34 grams. I used salted butter, but feel free to use unsalted if you think it maybe too salty. I also left the skin of the tinned sardines on, as this is where much of the nutrition, particularly omega oils and vitamin D are located. I did remove the spine and the bones, but I am sorry to say I ate them there and then. I didn’t throw them away. Which I guess is a bit gross, but they’re very good for you (full of calcium and vitamin D) and just crumble in your mouth. But ok, I make no apologies for being a bit foul.
Additionally, let the butter warm up before you start mashing the flesh into it. It will make it much easier to combine and you won’t run the risk of bending a fork (like I did)
Make sure to taste it as you go also. I added the juice of half a lemon and 1 tsp of cayenne pepper plus salt and black pepper. I think next time I will add more lemon.
It then needs to be put in the fridge to chill and steep a bit. I had it with some bread that my bf Arne had made and a plate of sliced cooked beetroot for some colour. I’d also made some pickles that day with yellow courgettes and had actually bought some smoked salmon, just in case the sardine butter was disgusting. It wasn’t. It is now Monday morning and I have just finished it off. Though I do have to say, it tastes much stronger today.
Please let me know if you try it or have other suggestions for using up lesser used cupboard ingredients or that use an ingredient in a way which is a bit unusual. I am going to keep writing up odd things that I’ve cooked or eaten which I think might be interesting. Either for a) ingenuity b) simplicity or just c) some memory or experience they evoked.
Sam
