Tin Of Sardines Recipe

Preheat and slice

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Slice the baguette or loaf into 12–16 thin slices (about 1/3 inch / 8 mm thick). Arrange slices in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Brush and toast

Lightly brush each slice with the butter or olive oil. Sprinkle the coarse sea salt evenly over the slices if using. Toast in the preheated oven until golden and crisp, about 6–8 minutes, flipping once halfway through to brown both sides.

Rub with garlic

Remove crostini from the oven and, while still warm, rub the cut side of the halved garlic clove over the top surface of each slice to lightly infuse with garlic flavor. Set aside to cool slightly.

Prepare sardines

Open the tins of sardines and drain most of the oil into a small bowl (reserve a teaspoon of oil for the mixture if desired). Gently transfer sardines to a mixing bowl and flake them with a fork into bite-sized pieces, leaving some fillets slightly intact for texture.

Dress the sardines

Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil (or use 1 tsp of reserved oil), rinsed capers, chopped parsley, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper to the flaked sardines. Gently fold to combine, tasting and adjusting seasoning — add more lemon juice or salt if needed.

Optional heat

If you like a little heat, stir in the chili flakes now or reserve them for sprinkling on top when assembling.

Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon of the sardine mixture onto each crostini, pressing slightly so it adheres. Arrange the topped crostini on a platter.

Garnish each crostini with a few extra capers or a sprinkle of parsley or microgreens and a light dusting of chili flakes if using. Serve immediately while crostini are crisp. Leftover sardine mix keeps covered in the refrigerator up to 2 days.