. . . you say,
"Ew," probably.
Once upon a time, I had sardines at a tapas bar and was pleasantly surprised. So, naturally, I went to Costco and bought a case. Not really. It was just six cans but the package had all the buzzwords: sustainably caught in the North Pacific Ocean, wild. . . . I felt compelled to try them at home. Plus, canned sardines are a very shelf-stable protein source to keep in my pantry in case we are overrun by zombies. (They are also a source of omega-3s, vitamin D, iron, and calcium.)
After storing them for a period of time, I thought I should probably figure out what to do with them. I opened a can and tried one. Gastronomically speaking, I can say I was not looking forward to any kind of apocalypse. So they continued to sit, unopened, in my pantry.
Until one day, "Sardine Puttanesca" popped into my head. Where does a thought like that even come from? Lo and behold, I found a recipe on NYTimes Cooking for the very same thing. (By the way, the NYTims Cooking app is very good.) I proceeded to make them for dinner with no backup plan in case it didn't turn out.
I am pleased to report that it was delicious. I have two more cans of sardines and leftover anchovies (also called for in the recipe) so I plan to make Sardine Puttanesca again and again.
Try it and I'll bet that next time I say "sardines," you'll say "yum!"
