Say the word “sardines” around people and you get one of two reactions.
Either they love them… or they don’t.
I haven’t found many in-between-ers.
Elise Bauer
Obviously, given the title of this recipe, we fall in the “love them” camp.
As in seriously love them.
Fresh sardines, canned sardines, heck, I’ll even happily eat sardine sushi.
Elise Bauer
Growing up we always had several cans in the pantry.
Sardines packed in olive oil, packed in mustard, or packed in tomato paste.
Must have something to do with my father’s Minnesota roots.
We also had pickled herring and if we were lucky, smoked dried herring in the fridge.
(You think sardines are strong?
You should try smoked dried herring!)
I’ve made these several times and everyone loves them.
Think of a cross between a tuna spread and caviar.
They easily spread over crackers, my favorite way to eat them.
Remove and discard the bones.
Cut away and discard any tails.
Place the cream cheese or Neufchatel in a medium bowl.
Fold and stir with a rubber spatula until smooth.
Add the now boneless sardines to the cheese mixture.
Use a fork to smash the sardines and stir into the cheese.
Add cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste.
Add more lime or lemon juice to taste.
Serve on crackers, bread, celery sticks, or as a stuffing for cherry tomatoes.
