Sardine Salad Sandwich

Sardine Salad Sandwich

By David Parmeter    —   See the recipe

I’ll admit that I love the flavor of canned sardines (especially in olive oi) and pairing them with the piquant flavors of capers, pepperoncini peppers, and pickles is heavenly. This is a take on the classic tuna salad sandwich. I like tuna, but sardines are healthy, cheap (!) and often more sustainably caught. My only issue with eating sardines is that I get a little weirded out by eating the bones. One of the bonuses of mixing in cabbage, carrots and other veggies with a satisfying texture is that they cleverly disguise the sardine's crunchy bits. Another bonus of mixing in a ton of veggies is that you can get a good four generous portions out of one can of sardines. I usually make the salad and keep it in the fridge to use for lunches or snacks during the week. Nutritious and economical. Who doesn’t love that!


Sardine Salad

  • 1 cup shredded cabbage 
  • 1 large carrot (1/2 cup finely grated)
  • 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
  • 1 tbsp non-pareil capers
  • 2 tbsp diced peperoncini
  • 1/4 cup diced dill pickle
  • one 4.5 oz can of sardines in olive oil
  • 3 tbsp black olives diced and pitted
  • 4 tbsp red pepper
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. It's better if you let it chill in the fridge before serving and best if it sits over night. You can serve this salad as a sandwich or or on top of crackers, or a slice of bread with tomato, or avocado. Sometimes if I have boiled eggs on hand, I will throw those in as well. Note: For the black olives, I use Turkish Salamura - Dogal Siyah Zeytin but any brine-cured olive such as the Kalamata olive will work just fine. I like to use red cabbage for the color but white or green cabbage is just as tasty.

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