Herring, smoked trout, sardines, anchovies?

I just tried smoked herring and OH MY! It was delicious. This morning I sauteed it in its oil and sprinkled with schezwaun pepper and lime salt. I was over the moon. It was delicious!

I'm eating tinned fish for breakfast because it is super easy to carry to work and I'm on a very restrictive diet.

Ya, that tinned fish is pretty amazing. People carry Quest bars for "emergency food" when a can of sardines would be so much better.

sound great instead of toasts

I'm on board Nancy! I like ANYTHING but regular breakfast food at breakfast I've had some tins of fish at work and the are a great snack if I'm feeling peckish, not fried for breakfast heheh.,

I'm going to give it a try when I'm on the road starting tomorrow. Brisling Sardines from Poland packed in olive oil. That and boiled eggs and almonds should get me through until I'm near a restaurant at supper time. Full report tomorrow.

I've been frying up a 1/2 cup of canned salmon in butter most mornings now. I've always had sardines with mayo or as part of a salad. I'm going to try frying them in butter tomorrow.

Everything goes better with butter!

I love smoked herring.

Sardines were a bit of a challenge. They didn't taste bad, but I had a problem with the fact that they had bones in them. Really soft ones, yes, but I didn't love crunching them. Maybe I didn't prepare them properly. Any suggestions?

I mash sardines really well with a bit of mustard. Canned salmon bones bother me more, but I mask their texture by adding some walnuts or celery or shredded cabbage (anything as firm or firmer than the bones that goes well with the fish). That way I don't have gag-inducing thoughts of bone crunching as I know celery is crunchy so it is just like eating tuna salad with celery/cabbage/nuts/whatever added.

If you took the bones out, it wouldn't be crunchy, would it?*

The bones are part of what makes them so good for us. If you mash them up, as deirdra suggested, they sorta disappear.


*Monty Python joke

I like to buy the 2 layer cans that come with smaller fish. They cost more, but I like to splurge when it comes to sardines. I don't even notice the bones. I do buy the cheaper sardines from time to time; especially if they are on sale. I don't enjoy them as much, but they come in handy when I need to have a quick meal.

I just crunch them up and celebrate the calcium, however you can buy boneless ones. I saw them in Costco.

Yesterday I really struggled to eat the sardines and then realized I should probably eat something with them, so I made a sauce of mustard and tabasco. Still, I think this is such a superior breakfast and probably about the only easy choice I have any longer, other than skipping it entirely.

Okay, discovered they're far more enjoyable when you eat them with something bitey like mustard. Someone suggested kimchee, which I'd probably like too. I've been meaning to start fermenting veggies myself, but just haven't had a chance to do it yet.

This may be impossible to answer, but...what do they taste like?

I bought a can of sardines and never ate them. I'm a big chicken. For months I would open my pantry door, look at the sardines, and then close the door again. I ended up putting the can in a box of food I donated to a food bank.

Are they fishy tasting? Salty? If I could get over this mental block I have I think I might like them.

Get the smoked ones. I add extra salt. I had a mental block too. I just grit my teeth and did it. Are they good? Well... not good enough that I don't have to be REALLY hungry to eat them. :-) You might want to start with smoked herring or smoked trout and work your way up to sardines. Finally, eat them with something strong tasting. I'm thinking mustard sauce, kimchee, sauerkraut, something like that.

That's like the jar of pickled pig's feet we found in mom's pantry after she died. It must have been there for years.

I find sardines to be fishier tasting than salmon & even mackerel. They're hard for me to take on their own, but with a mayo-based dressing - or even just mayo & a sprinkle of garlic powder - or fried with butter they're good. As for salt - I'm very fond of salt so I don't find them too salty.