Easy Sardine & Citrus Salad

My quick sardi salad packs a flava punch while being nutrient dense, cost efficient & filling.

I know, I know. Canned sardines aren’t everyone’s jam. Smelly smoked fish in a can with bones & skin? Not the sexiest food in the world.
I get it, I suppose. But what they lack in sex appeal they more than make up for in healthfulness, sustainability, & ease of meal prep.

Truth be told I just love ’em. Always have. As a junior high-schooler my mom would buy the cheapies at Aldis and I would grab a tin of the good-stuff, a spoon, a sleeve of saltines, & waltz to my front porch to settle in with a new library book.
Nope, we weren’t allowed to eat them in the house. Ila didn’t play like that.
I recall settling in for a fishy-salty extravaganza, pausing only to make sure the oil did not drip drop on the book pages.

The problem with that scenario? Cheapo sardines are packed in questionable oils like soybean & cottonseed. And eating them with a full SLEEVE of highly processed & caloric salt bombs wasn’t the best choice. That “snack” invariably left me with dry mouth, swollen ankles, & bloated gut. I loved it. It just didn’t love me.

Fast forward so many years later when I was beginning to get serious about changing my life thru weight loss. I knew salads needed to play their role, but my previous versions were jammed with deli meats, packaged croutons, way too much bottled ranch dressing, and of course cheese. ALL THE CHEESE.
So I began to slowly readjust my palate & my thinking, working on creating a simple salad that would be nourishing & delicious.

The base is just greens and a few choice ingredients. I don’t even bother making an official vinaigrette for this.(See notes in the recipe.)
The Persian lime olive oil in this recipe was in a gift basket I received at Xmas, and it is SUBLIME. Found out that the shop, The Ancient Olive, is close to me and I’ve been stalking it ever since.

As usual, play around with the recipe as you see fit. If you aren’t a sardine lover, I urge you to try them in this capacity. I adore Wild Planet Sardines. They come packed in water, olive oil, & even with lemon. Sure they can be pricey, but are often found on sale via the Value Vault on their site. I buy them by the case sometimes, which has reduced the price to like $1.20 per can. Can’t beat it.

In the meantime, let me know what you think of canned sardines in general. Yay or nay?

Easy Sardine Citrus Salad

A bright & briny salad chocked full o' healthy fats

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 1

Ingredients

  

• 2 hand fulls Organic Spring Mix Lettuce
• 1 tin Wild Planet Sardines
• 1 Boiled Egg
• 1 hand full Cherry Tomatoes
• a few slices Avocado
• 1 tbsp Persian Lime Infused Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar to taste
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Fresh Lime Juice to taste

Instructions

 

• I don't bother to make an actual vinaigrette here.  Just toss all ingredients together in a bowl.  Adjust seasoning.  Enjoy!
  

Notes

This "recipe" is easily adapted to your tastes. Use your favorite lettuces, veggies & sardines. I use Wild Planet exclusively as I think they are the best. For this recipe I used boneless packed in water to let the Persian Olive Oil shine, but I often make the salad with the whole sardines packed in lemon & olive oil. If you use them just omit the olive oil and use a bit of the oil in the can, and swap your lime juice for fresh lemon juice.

Keyword Keto, Paleo