In the old days they did have more per can. They were smaller too. And tasted way better. Today they're using what to me tastes like little mackerals. I miss the good ol' days of sardines. But I guess when the last American sardine plant closed, that ended an era. I still miss my Underwood sardines in Tabasco.

 

When I was a kid growing up, we ate sardines, Red Hots & white bread, beeni wennie and Vienna Sausages in numerous sauces. Haven't had the desire for them yet.

 

Try kippered snacks next!

 

For some reason, that reminds me of this:

which contains in the ingredient list "meat."

 

I was fed sardine sandwiches (mashed up with Miracle Whip - which mostly took care of the bone issue) at least once a week growing up. I still like them (well, I think I do .. stored quite a few for a long time but ended up giving them away not long ago) based on a 'not bad' childhood memory. They ARE good for you imho - and I should eat some again I am sure - but, now reading what Mike says about them not tasting the same, or being as small, I may think about it while longer.

 

You can still get the good ones, but they're imported and really expensive now.

 

Isn't strange that as kids we think adults are so stupid.

 

And as adults we think kids are retarted. Go figure. lol

I like sardines too. I like em with crackers and hot sauce.

 

I have always ate sardines. I used to buy "Possum" brand sardines but they are not available anymore. Was nothing like going to the little store down on the river and getting a couke of cans and some crackers and a big hunk of hoop cheese. They rented little flat bottom boats and we would go to the crappie hole and catch a few then break out the sardines and crackers. Washed them down with a grape Nehi with a bag of peanuts in it. Might even get a Payday candy bar too.

 

When I was a kid, which was only 20 years ago, me and my buddy used to put a pack of peanuts into our orange soda. Man that was some good stuff.

I only eat the cold water versions. Poland, Norway or Canada thank you very much. I read about a major company that contracted out to companies in Thailand. A few managed to grow their fish very fast. The biologist went to take a look. They were diverting the village sewer line into the lagoon they fished. No thanks. Sardines are several different types of fish. The cold water have the good Omega 3 FA stuff. I really prefer the Smoked New Brunswick. I always keep 48 tins around. Get down to 24 and to town to re-supply.

I stick with the cold water stuff to. Much better tasting IMO.

i like to fry my sardines for a bit and together with fryed potatoes they are pretty good on a cold day

My mom did this too. She would take and dip it in egg, batter it, then fry em. Then take and fry pototoes in paddies. Man I miss home cooking.

 

I was on a restricted diet as a baby. As soon as I was able to eat solid food, my mother began feeding me sardines. I still love them. Unfortunately, I can no longer find the big cans with the large sardines in them. They used to come in a can like salmon, or mackerel. Now, Im stuck with the tiny flat cans. I liked the others because they werent pop-tops. You actually needed a can opener.

 

Look in the ethnic food aisles - I can get 1 lb cans of sardines very reasonably if I don't mind the bi-lingual label.....and yes, I have to open them with a can opener, but that good-sized oval shallow can is perfect for a multitude or recycle projects...
I loved smelt-run time - cleaning those little buggers was ditsy work but they were sooooo good fried, or canned in various sauces!

 

I only eat the cold water versions. Poland, Norway or Canada thank you very much. I read about a major company that contracted out to companies in Thailand. A few managed to grow their fish very fast. The biologist went to take a look. They were diverting the village sewer line into the lagoon they fished. No thanks. Sardines are several different types of fish. The cold water have the good Omega 3 FA stuff. I really prefer the Smoked New Brunswick. I always keep 48 tins around. Get down to 24 and to town to re-supply.

 

Hmm, I ate tongue, chicken hearts, pickled herring, and the other nasty stuff ha ha ha ha. My grandparents grew up poor in the backwoods of the south. I ate far worse growing up, found out early on what looked or sounded gross I needed to at least try it. My grandpa was picky and if he ate it then it was bound to be good. Granny wouldn't cook anything papa wouldn't eat.

 

My grandparents lived as poor immigrants in NYC. Prior to that they were very poor people in eastern Europe until they fled, just with their lives. Lot of tongue, borscht and sardines in the family. I ate tongue a few times but really couldn't stomach the taste or smell. No less the time that my mother bought a whole one, put it on a plate in the top front shelf of the refrigerator, and when I got home and opened the door, it looked like the whole fridge was sticking it's tongue out at me. Frightening. And true story.
I'm getting more and more tempted to try sardines though. In mustard sauce. I suspect that the cold water ones are very healthy and with enough bread and hot sauce, how bad can they be?
B

 

The Basque places in Nevada do some good tongue, they cook it long and use a sauce that kind of hides what the meat is. My aunt was three slices in and wanting more before my uncle told her what it was....sadly, she couldn't get past the "ick" factor.

My grandpa and I shared a love of pickled pigs feet. My dad was a sardine guy, but I could never ever get a taste for them.

 

My grandpa and I shared a love of pickled pigs feet.

 

I grew up on sardine sandwiches. Just sardines in mustard laid on white bread. The other kids at school were a combination of disgusted and fascinated at the whole fishes.

My 8 year old son loves them too. The wife and daughter are not interested at all.

 

i like to fry my sardines for a bit and together with fryed potatoes they are pretty good on a cold day

 

I like the strait sardines in oil mmmmmmmmgoood .
"Bumble bee" and "chicken of the sea" provide sardines more reasonably .
I don't particularly care for the mustard sauce, I actually like the taste of the sardines.
You can't eat just one can. I try not to give in to temptation .
kippered snacks ,I think I could quite possibly live on indefinitely.

Like you as a kid the idea of eating little whole fish was unappealing but I had an event that drove me into it.
I had already worked all night making snow at the ski area, and was anxious to go home, but the boss said they needed some one just for a few hours on one of the chair lift stations ,so I accepted, but hadn't had any thing to eat all night and morning .
Some one had left a tin of sardines in the shack, and you can only stare at something like this for so long and not do any thing, so I tried it ,and was hooked ever since.

 

I grew up eating sardines, mostly our little country general store stocked them in oil. As a teenager working on my grandparents farm with a scythe cutting filth (weeds, briars & anything the cattle or sheep wouldn't eat) we took them in our lunch. One of the boys who came with his father was in the boy scouts in another town. He would take out his boy scout knife and clean the sardines, cutting off the fins, taking out the back bone and any thing he thought was an internal part. We kidded him that he was throwing away the best parts of the sardine. It wasn't until years later that I tried them in mustard, they are good that way but I still prefer the ones in oil. Does anyone eat scrapple for breakfast? It's another old fashioned dish made from what's left over after butchering a hog and making sausage. It's made up of what isn't put into the sausage. Makes a great breakfast meat.

 

Ever since I was a kid, I use to read books about fish, mostly fish and game fish.

For quite a while, I noticed that they have a lot of flexibility on what they call 'sardines' in this country and when I opened cans it's interesting. There's a reason they remove the heads beyond our preferences.

Quite a while ago I noticed that several different juvenile fish were being processed as well as sardine sized fish. Anchovies, sardines, and herring are commonly used. There's also that wider bodied fish, perhaps a juvenile shad that was really filling cans in the 1990's. It sort of concerned me, but there's still a lot of 'bait fish' out there and the tastes aren't all that far off once they are canned and processed.

If you got to Walmart you'll find some herring fillets (No heads, no guts, just the sides of meat) in white cans with various things added like delicious tomato based sauce, mustard and oils. Unfortunately, I don't have a can handy but the same brand is available for $3.29 in a gourmet shop near me. That's how I got to know them. They cost $1 at Walmart!

I like kippers and the fillets.


However, look up sprats.

Sprats are small fish, averaging much smaller than sardines. They are a Baltic fish, very common for Scands and Eastern Europeans, normally smoked and packed in cans, sometimes loosely, sometimes orderly, I guess depending on who happened to pack your can that day. They have some wonderful properties, but don't touch them if you have gout. They will be very rough for you. I think they are generally smoked if canned. There's enough difference in the taste that I find them better.


When we visited some places in Europe they'd leave a bag on your door in the morning. There would be a few eggs, some fresh local produce, cheese, rolls, and a can of sardines. Not many people put sardines on rolls in the US, I assume, but it wasn't all that odd in Europe.

 

Lurve em. I like to take em on picknics. No need for butter just some oil or that jummy mustard or tomato sauce.

 

I forgot to add that as I frequently eat sardines, sprats and such I still benefit when I increase my intake. I notice my mind is a bit keaner, I'm more ready to move, there's more spring in my step, and my fur takes on a nice glossy sheen.

 

These are the ones you guys need to try. A little more expensive but well worth it. I can't find them at places like Walmart but some of the smaller grocery stores carry them.

Their tuna is to die for as well.

http://www.raincoasttrading.com/raincoast-sardine-products.html

 

Sardines aren't my favorite, but kippered herring is a staple for me.

 

I grew up eating sardines. Back in the 70's, we used to pick up pecans on the halves and sardines would be our lunch. I have fond memories of leaning up against a pecan tree and sharing a can of sardines, some rat cheese and saltine crackers with my uncle.

 

Funny, I can't gag down any kind of sardine or even smoked oyster, but I CRAVE kipper snacks! They can be pungent in public.

Had a co-worked who constantly heated up the most disgusting frozen Italian entree- the entire department wanted her to stop, but she couldn't believe it could stink that bad...so I reached into my drawer for a can of kipper snacks, popped the top and ate them at my desk with the fan facing her way. She started gagging big time! No more Italian entrees!

 

Sardines can be either good or AWEFUL!

Sardines has protein, and calcium as you described but they are also rich in omega fatty acids.

I like some of the sardines in Mustard sauce. My sister likes them in tomato sauce.

I can't stomach the sardines in olive or soybean oil.

I was sick 16 years ago and my hair was starting to turn gray. I went back to eating sardines once or twice a week and my natural hair color come back.

 

King Oscar seems to have a wide selection. Single layer, double layer, packed on oil, packed in water. I prefer the double layer packed in oil.

 

My grandmother used to stay with us in the winters, she had a summer bungalow for years. Sundays we had a big lunch and often sardines and kippers were on the table. I liked them on saltines. I see them in the stores but haven't bought or had one in maybe 40 years. I'll have to give them a try again.