Roasted Fish Summer Sandwich (Kinda Sorta)

This is an easy and really yummy sandwich that hardly takes any time to make. The ingredients may scare you a little at first. You just need to trust me on the awesomeness.

Here's what you'll need...


Makes 2 sandwiches:
(10 minutes)


2 Hoagie Rolls
1 Medium Tomato, sliced thin
1 Medium Cucumber, sliced thin
A couple of forkfuls of Kale Salad
Ken's Vidalia Onion Salad Dressing. (Lemon vinaigrette or other vinaigrette works well to.)


And...


1 can of Sardines packed in double layers in Olive Oil


Turn on your oven's broiler and set the top rack about 8" from the heat source.


Take your can of sardines and pour out about 1/2 of the olive oil. If you pour the oil in your dog's dish you will be  seriously loved. Dump that can into a roasting pan. (I used a 9 inch cake pan...don't judge) Use tongs to gently separate the little fishies and spread them around the pan.


Put your pan of fishies and your opened hoagie rolls on the top rack. Shut the door. And Listen.


When you hear the oil from the sardines popping good they're ready to come out. Use caution removing popping fishies. Pull the bread out when the inside is looking a little brown and the bread feels toasted. It needs to hold up to liquid. Not toasting the bread for at least a few minutes will give you a sloppy sandwich.


Pour dressing onto each side of the roll and use a spoon to make sure the vinaigrette or dressing is spread thinly over all of the inside surface area of the bread. Top and bottom...edge to edge.



Using tongs, put about 8-10 of the roasted sardines on the bottom. Add slices of cucumber, tomato, kale salad or anything else you really like on your sandwiches. Avocado? Bacon? It's a free country. Go nuts.

Enjoy!




People didn't eat sushi when I was a kid (not in North Carolina anyway). I think seeing my father eat sardines just freaked me out. I've been eating sushi for ages but sardines just heebed my geeb for some crazy childhood reason. Sardines always freaked me out a bit but last year I made an attempt to like them. I tried a few different recipes I found online and now I almost always have a half dozen cans in my pantry.  They're crazy good for you. The "World's Healthiest Foods" website says:

Sardines are rich in numerous nutrients that have been found to support cardiovascular health. They are one of the most concentrated sources of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which have been found to lower triglycerides and cholesterol levels; one serving (3.25 ounce can) of sardines actually contains over 50% of the daily value for these important nutrients. Sardines are an excellent source of vitamin B12, second only to calf's liver as the World's Healthiest Food most concentrated in this nutrient. Vitamin B12 promotes cardiovascular well-being since it is intricately tied to keeping levels of homocysteine in balance; homocysteine can damage artery walls, with elevated levels being a risk factor for atherosclerosis.

I try to keep adequate food stores in case of an emergency and sardines are a staple. It's almost impossible to find fresh sardines in the US but the canned varieties are usually imported and, due to the manufacturing practices, have a shelf life for many years. For example: I have a can of mushroom soup that will expire in 2013. My sardines don't expire until 2017.  I really like the ones double layered and packed in olive oil. They aren't too big and they roast up well for sandwiches and snacks. The smoked sardines from Trader Joe's are also very good. Stick with the ones in olive oil to start out. I have some packed in mustard, hot sauce and tomato sauce hanging out in the pantry. I'm a little *meh* on those. Not as big a fan.

The Livestrong website also has lots of fun information on sardines. It's almost like a fan page.

I just happened to have a bottle of the Ken's Steakhouse Vidalia Onion dressing in the fridge door. It's crazy good as a sandwich spread. It gives you onion flavor, a touch of sweetness and it sticks to the toasted bread
without getting drippy. Good stuff. I was all set to make this with a lemon vinaigrette and realized I'd used my last lemon in the kale salad. Accidental discovery.