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. 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!) So when Dorie Greenspan had a recipe for sardine rillettes in her fabulous cookbook, Around My French Table, I couldn’t wait to try it. So. Darn. Good! I’ve made these several times and everyone loves them. Think of a cross between a tuna spread and caviar. If you are unfamiliar with the French term “rillette”, it is basically a pâté, often made with pork that has been cooked slowly in fat and shredded. One of the things I love about these sardine rillettes is that the thinly sliced green onions sort of mimic the texture of pulled pork. They easily spread over crackers, my favorite way to eat them. By the way, I’m always looking for interesting recipes that call for canned sardines. If you have a favorite, please let us know about it in the comments. Either serve immediately (Dorie suggests chilling at least 2 hours, but I haven’t found that necessary), or chill. Can make up to two days ahead if you carefully cover with plastic wrap so there is no exposure to air, and chill. Serve on crackers, bread, celery sticks, or as a stuffing for cherry tomatoes. Salmon spread - here on Simply Recipes Sardine Pâté - from David Lebovitz, using fresh sardines. Salmon rillettes - also from David Lebovitz
