The Editor from theKitchn.com., a website answering questions and detailing the what and where to eat in Chicago, had this to say at the site’s Good Question section:

 ”…, sardines are indeed pretty intense (although grilled fresh sardines – oh yum!) but they can lend a depth of flavor to many things. Think about blitzing the sardines into paste and tossing them with cheese, vegetables, and pasta for a quick gratin. They won’t stand out, but they will give a nice salty savoriness to the dish. Or whisk a paste into your next batch of tomato sauce.”

as well as provides six recipes to cook canned sardines, adding to another six recipes with fresh sardines, which can be broiled in fillets, pan-seared, pan-fried, grilled.

On the questions of why and how to prepare sardines, scientists would point at the health benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids. Chefs and cooks probably have their own specialties and preferences on how to cook their sardines.

So far, there has been efforts to promote our understanding of sardines and its products, as well as byproducts. Within the “sea food news area” of the Internet space, topics such as the availability and sustainability of sardines can be found. 

As for how to eat sardines sustainably, which is one from the well-being department, we need a bigger picture that includes the tiny fishes. On a teenage trip to Borneo, the regular fish farmer of your home does not really have a choice but bring home the best of what’s in the net.

Most often than not, fresh fishes from the sea are better tasting when grilled and served in hot, spicy chili. And they are usually prepared that way in the hot season, especially when the fishes are medium-size. Considering how easy it is to grill and steam fishes, these two methods are quite sustainable, with minimum energy being spent on steaming the sardines.

There’s always the option of tossing a can of the superhero fishes onto a bowl of freshly picked salad for an easy dinner idea. Try steaming the fish first for a different tinge. Here’s a recipe idea to prepare the canned sardines steamed with very minimum use of oil.

Steamed Sardines with Fresh Veggies

Ingredients

medium size canned sardines

carrots

one cucumber

one onion, chopped

two tsp of vegetable oil

Directions

1. Chop the carrots and cucumber into edible sizes and store in fridge.

2. Separate the fishes from the sauce in the can, and steam the fishes for fifteen minutes, as you prepare the sauce.

3. Heat the oil and add the sauce for about ten minutes, before pouring in the chopped onion, carrots and cucumber and leave to cool off after five minutes. Line up the steamed sardines on a bowl, decorate with lettuce and slices of tomatoes if desired, and then pour the sauce.

The recipe makes for three people, and it takes about ten minutes to prepare, and about twenty minutes to cook, which is the amount of time we usually spend for a quick meal preparation. Serve with steaming white rice, as necessary. Bread and potatoes are additional.