# Who here has interesting ways of eating sardines?



## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Just wondering.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I don't eat sardines, too salty. But I love these herring thingies.



I am so happy to get them on Amazon in all the flavors, mustard, tomato, dill. I grew up with those things in germany and I still love them.

How to eat them? First make sure all cats are locked up, then open can, dump on plate. Wipe the mess you made on the counter. Grab a slice or rye bread and dig in. 

Then try not to kiss anyone for a while.


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## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

T.L. Haddix said:


> Christopher, you wonder about the oddest things. It's cool.
> 
> I have an interesting way of eating them. I walk past them in the grocery store, and the cans vaporize as I pass.


That's pretty much a super power. Well, maybe a minor super power. I guess there might be a lesser known group of Avengers out there that includes the Sardine Vaporizer.



Atunah said:


> I don't eat sardines, too salty. But I love these herring thingies.


Ah, herring. I need to branch out in that direction. They sound tasty.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I'm not a sardine eater myself but my dad likes to eat them with mustard, straight out of the can. He usually has crackers with his.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I've never eaten sardines in even an uninteresting way, at least not since the unremembered past where sardines entered the category of things I don't eat!  Once I had albacore tuna on pizza in a kosher pizza place in Miami Beach.  That's as close as I've come.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Atunah said:


> First make sure all cats are locked up


This part is crucial if you don't want to share 

However, I'm nicer to my cats than Atunah is  and they always get one sardine each.

I'm not much a fan of the big skinless sardines because they usually have larger bones. The best are the King Oscar ones (the cans in red paper) from Norway. In olive oil. Yummmmm. Delicate little fishies, hardly noticeable bones. On buttered rye bread, on toast, on shredded romaine lettuce, or occasionally straight from the can  .

BTW these King Oscar ones are pretty expensive at the supermarket but they are MUCH cheaper at Costco.... I think they make the membership fee worthwhile all by themselves.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

T.L. Haddix said:


> Dumb question about sardines. Do they still have their fishy heads and tails?


There are no heads and rarely any remnant of caudal (tail) fin. Do try them, and let us know what you think!


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## JB Rowley (Jan 29, 2012)

I love sardines. Not only are they tasty but also healthy. They provide us with Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants,  vitamin B12, protein, iron, calcium and lots more AND they are at the bottom of food chain which means less risk of mercury content. I eat them squashed up with lots of hot chillies and spread over dry biscuits or toast. Yum yum! JB


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## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

Am I the only one who carefully dissects each and every sardine (or a herring) and removes all unpleasant bits? Only then they are eaten, with green onion, lemon juice (and smoked salt if needed). Of course, it takes a bit longer but I feel like Scully in X-files... "tissue appears healthy" and all that


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

anguabell said:


> Am I the only one who carefully dissects each and every sardine (or a herring) and removes all unpleasant bits? Only then they are eaten, with green onion, lemon juice (and smoked salt if needed). Of course, it takes a bit longer but I feel like Scully in X-files... "tissue appears healthy" and all that


I was a sardine dissector as a child, but now I eat it all.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

T.L. Haddix said:


> Unpleasant bits? Uhhhhh....


ditto + LOL


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I just consider the whole sardine to be one "unpleasant bit".


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## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Susan in VA said:


> BTW these King Oscar ones are pretty expensive at the supermarket but they are MUCH cheaper at Costco.... I think they make the membership fee worthwhile all by themselves.


King Oscar sardines at Costco?? I've never seen them (or any kind of sardine) at the Costco here. How sad. Obviously, all Costcos are not created equal...


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## Lee44 (Sep 9, 2012)

I haven't had a sardine since I was a child!


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

I only saw my Dad eat them with sardines, so that's the only way I've eaten them. 

Its been years since I had sardines...will have to get some next grocery trip


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

There isn't much in the way of food that I don't eat and like.  But, the only interesting way to deal with sardines if a can happens to find its way into your home is to put it directly in the trash without opening it to avoid the smell permeating the air for days.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Fresh sardines cooked on a barbecue -- as the Portugese do it -- are wonderful. Just push a wooden skewer through them lengthwise and then toss them on the grill. And it's only the outside air that gets permeated, so no real problems there.


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## MeiLinMiranda (Feb 17, 2011)

Grilled or broiled if fresh. Otherwise I eat 'em like canned tuna, with mayo and pickle relish.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Tony Richards said:


> Fresh sardines cooked on a barbecue -- as the Portugese do it -- are wonderful. Just push a wooden skewer through them lengthwise and then toss them on the grill. And it's only the outside air that gets permeated, so no real problems there.


Sure but beating off the neighborhood cats can be difficult!


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Spine. There is a spine


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Atunah said:


> Spine. There is a spine


 Yes...yes, there is. The bones are _super_-soft (not crunchy!) and very high in calcium.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

T.L. Haddix said:


> So just how fishy are sardines? Compared to say tuna or canned salmon?


Well, I enjoy all kinds of fish, including tuna and salmon. I don't notice any lingering odors with sardines, but my house _does_ smell for a day or two after cooking salmon. Sardines don't taste particularly fishy to me, but from other comments here I think some may disagree.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

DreamWeaver said:


> That sounds _delicious!_
> 
> Hmm. I don't detect _any_ residual odor, even when the empty can's not taken out right away.
> 
> Okay...so, I had sardines for lunch today. Yum.  I decided to take a photograph for those who have never seen a canned sardine. On the left is how it looked in the can. On the right are two halves of a sardine, which shows the "unpleasant bits" that anguabell referred to.  The sardine was 2-1/2 inches long; it's enlarged here so you can see all the glorious details.


Okay, this totally convinces me to give them another try - NOT


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

I love sardines. I usually get them packed in either water or hot sauce, and eat them right out of the can. I drain the water and add a little vinegar and pepper to the water-packed ones.  No dissecting - I like the bones.  I eat them with saltines & cheddar cheese. And my husband complains about the smell. 

I've been eating sardines since you needed a key to open the tin. I sometimes buy the herring (kippers) in tins too, and the smoked oysters.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Meemo said:


> I've been eating sardines since you needed a key to open the tin.


I'd forgotten that we used to open sardine tins with a key.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

As far as I know, they never found another buyer and the Stinson Cannery is closed. Note the date is almost 3 years ago.

April 3, 2010

*In Maine, Last Sardine Cannery in the U.S. Is Clattering Out*

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

PROSPECT HARBOR, Me. - The women in their smudged aprons here at the sardine cannery work together in mesmerizing synchronization. Their hands flying, they fill the empty tins that clatter along the conveyer belt, packing in pieces of cut herring like, well, so many sardines.

On April 18, the clanking will cease. The bells and buzzers that regulate the pace of packing will fall silent. The old plant, the last sardine cannery in the United States, is shutting down.

Once a thriving national industry - and the backdrop of John Steinbeck's gritty "Cannery Row" - sardine canneries have been dwindling for the last half-century. They have fallen victim to global competition, corporate consolidations and a general lack of appetite, at least in the United States, for sardines, despite their nutritional value and attempts by chefs to give them an image makeover.

Bumble Bee Foods, which has owned the plant here since 2004, attributed the closing to federal regulations that have reduced the amount of Atlantic herring, sardines before processing, that can be hauled from the sea. (Although Bumble Bee is the owner, the cannery is still known as the Stinson plant, after the founding family.)

Maine was once a frenetic hub of the sardine business, starting in the 1870s. The industry reached its peak in the early 1950s, when it employed thousands of workers at more than 50 canneries.

This plant, identifiable by its giant slicker-clad seafarer holding a tin of Beach Cliff sardines, is by far the biggest employer in this pocket of peninsulas more than halfway up the coastline. When its doors close, 128 people will lose their jobs, and the ripple will be felt throughout the local economy. Unemployment in Hancock County, where the plant is located, was above 12 percent in January, already higher than the state average.

State officials have tried to lure other companies to buy the factory, and Gov. John Baldacci, a Democrat, has said he was optimistic that a buyer would be found and that some workers would be rehired. But many are still anxious about their futures.

"Everybody here is in limbo," said Peter Colson, the plant manager, who has worked here for 38 years. While the state is offering to help workers learn another trade and is making it easier to sign up for unemployment, he said that many would not accept an unemployment check - himself among them. "I've never been unemployed since I was old enough to walk," he said.

The packers, all of whom are women, are the heart of the processing plant, largely because they still work the fish with their hands. They are paid by the number of cans they pack and can earn up to $18 or $19 an hour.

In the break room off the packing floor, Nancy Harrington, 70, who has worked here for 44 years, said she did not want to retire. "I could work another 10 years," she said. Her three daughters have worked here, too, and so has her sister.

"I don't know how to do anything else," Ms. Harrington said. But she is not interested in training for another job because she is convinced it would mean working with computers. "I don't want nothing to do with computers," she declared. "I don't have one, I don't want to learn. No, sir. I'm going to do my scrapbooking and quilting."

Dawn Lamoureux, 41, said that the closing was "devastating" and that she was "still trying to deal with it."

Lela Anderson, 78, has been at the cannery for 54 years, starting back when workers used scissors to cut the herring before machines did that work.

"I enjoy being here," said Ms. Anderson, a tiny woman, adding that she had expected to celebrate her 80th birthday at the plant with friends. "I thought this would be here for generations to come."

The cannery is one of the last vestiges of Maine's industrial past, and in these final days, various archivists have been granted access to document its inner workings.

Ben Fuller, curator of the Penobscot Marine Museum, was working with a film crew on Monday, gathering material for a historical record intended for the Library of Congress.

"You're bringing to a close 135 years of sardine packaging on the coast," he said over the whoosh of water that cleansed the frozen herring before machines sliced off their heads and tails. "This really built up a lot of the towns here."

He said several factors played into the closing, beyond limits on the haul. Catching techniques are changing, he said, and the new methods can reduce the quality of herring needed for canning. There is also competition from lobstermen, who are willing to pay for the lower quality herring because they use it for bait.

Sardine workers in Maine saw their heyday during World War II, when large orders for American troops kept their canneries clattering.

"After the war, we saw a rise in tuna canning," Mr. Fuller said. "People could do more with tuna. There are a limited amount of things you can do with sardines."

Workers here do not express much interest in eating the catch. Ernie Beach, 55, who operates one of the plant's large pressure-cooker machines, which sterilize the sardines, said that few workers took advantage of company policy allowing them two free cans a day; he takes one home for his cat.

But like the others, Mr. Beach is proud of his work. "I'm not just the operator, I'm the maintenance man, the mechanic, I make all the adjustments, the calibrations," he said. "I'm saving lives here."

When their break was over, the women pulled on new rubber gloves, adjusted their hair nets and returned to the assembly line. They all worked fast, as the job demands, but Mr. Colson, the manager, said with some amazement, as he looked over the daily report, that two of the women, Lulu Orozco and Alma Rodriguez had packed 5,228 cans in 195 minutes, a dizzying rate. It was an extraordinary display of dexterity and focus, if not a little sardine showmanship at the end of the line.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Christopher Bunn said:


> King Oscar sardines at Costco?? I've never seen them (or any kind of sardine) at the Costco here. How sad. Obviously, all Costcos are not created equal...


In the aisle where they have tuna. Comes in packs of four. They usually have just one crate of them sitting there, so they might be easy to miss next to all the other stuff that's more plentiful.

Um, DreamWeaver? Was that photo really necessary?


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## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Leslie said:


> *In Maine, Last Sardine Cannery in the U.S. Is Clattering Out*
> 
> By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
> 
> ...


Sad article, but very interesting. Our sardine cannery here in Monterey shut down ages ago, specifically due to the sardines getting over-fished. Now, however, they've come back in this part of the Pacific with a vengeance due to not being fished large-scale for so long, as well as the fact that an enormous swath of the waters here are in marine sanctuary (just north of San Fran down to the San Luis Obispo area).


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## Lee44 (Sep 9, 2012)

I mentioned that I had not had sardines since I was a child.  I think that it is going to stay that way!!


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

Atunah - I grew up on a Christmas tradition of pickled herring, brought by my German grandparents. My brothers and I are the only ones who enjoy them; my dear spouse never took to them and as far as I know none of my brother's spouses did either. Sardines - I like them occasionally. Pickled herring I could swim in that stuff!!  


my brother's spouses    Hmmm, that doesn't look right, looks like my brothers have more than one wife; they don't. Should that be my brothers' spouse? That looks like they share a wife; they don't! Hmmmm .... maybe, "... as far as I know neither the wife of my older brother nor the wife of my younger brother did either."


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

HappyGuy said:


> Atunah - I grew up on a Christmas tradition of pickled herring, brought by my German grandparents. My brothers and I are the only ones who enjoy them; my dear spouse never took to them and as far as I know none of my brother's spouses did either. Sardines - I like them occasionally. Pickled herring I could swim in that stuff!!


Ah, yes Rollmops. 



We would serve those with fried german potatoes or boiled ones. An some sort of sourish cream thingy.

I haven't had Rollmops in 17 years.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Just sliced potatoes fried in a pan. Can make with or without onions. I make them by adding some butter first, put in the slices seasoned with salt and pepper. Make sure the butter is bubbly. Put on the lid and keep at like medium. At least on my old carpy stove its medium.  . 20 minutes and they should be nice and brown and a bit crunchy on the underside. Flip em over and cook a little more on the other side. 

I guess could just call them fried potatoes?


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I have a can of sardines. I bought it at the $.99 store last week. I haven't had any for many years. I haven't looked closely at this can, but I suspect that opening it will be easier than the old method of taking a little key off the can and using it to roll up the top. As for interesting ways to eat the sardines, all I can think of is spreading them on bread.

I do have one question. If you are in the sardine canning business, and you need a metaphor for how tightly packed the sardines are, what do you say? "They're packed like..."


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

See that's why I like these threads.  I didn't think there was anyone left on the planet who voluntarily ate Sardines.  I stand corrected.


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## Lee44 (Sep 9, 2012)

gljones said:


> See that's why I like these threads. I didn't think there was anyone left on the planet who voluntarily ate Sardines. I stand corrected.


I agree with you. Who would think that we would be having a discussion about sardines. And everyone is very passionate about their point of view!


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## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

DreamWeaver said:


> Mmm...fried German potatoes with onions! My mother made them like that. She was born in Holland, but her mother was from Germany, so my mom cooked both Dutch and German recipes, as well as Indonesian dishes. I sure do miss her cooking!


My mom's from Germany too. She made kartoffelkuchen (potato pancake) when we were kids. Grated potatoes and onion, mixed with a little egg, salt and pepper, and then fried in flat rounds like pancakes. Served hot with applesauce. Very tasty. I think you'd find them a positive experience.

Sardines would probably go really well with them.


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## DarkScribe (Aug 30, 2012)

Christopher Bunn said:


> Just wondering.


Most people regard sardines as oily little fish in tins. Fresh sardines are very tasty. When I was a kid and we lived in Ceylon (Sri Lanka now) I used to eat fresh sardines curried. We were only there for a year or so (my father was a Naval Attache) but is was a culinary experience.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

I get my sardines at Trader Joe's.  I'm not into skin and bones.


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

Sardines are high in nucleic acids that keeps you young. But I have never tried. Is there any common dish such as pizza that comes with sardines?


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Sandpiper said:


> I get my sardines at Trader Joe's.  I'm not into skin and bones.


I would be willing to try these. I might even like them if I try them again without skin & bones. I love anchovies, but will pass on the pickled herring while my daughter will eat them all until the come out her ears.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Atunah said:


> Just sliced potatoes fried in a pan. Can make with or without onions. I make them by adding some butter first, put in the slices seasoned with salt and pepper. Make sure the butter is bubbly. Put on the lid and keep at like medium. At least on my old carpy stove its medium. . 20 minutes and they should be nice and brown and a bit crunchy on the underside. Flip em over and cook a little more on the other side.


My grandmother used to make these using leftover boiled potatoes (just cubed not sliced). It works just as well, though they don't take as long since all you need to do is brown them a bit. I thought that was the only way to make them. Then one day as a teenager I was cooking with a friend and we decided on fried potatoes for dinner, and I started by putting on a pot of water to boil... so that I'd have boiled potatoes that I could then fry.... my friend thought I was crazy! So of course then I learned that you could make them from raw potatoes too, and that that's what _most_ people did.


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

We have a general rule of thumb in our house.  It it's something you have to fight the cat for, than it's not meant to be eaten.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

Atunah said:


> Ah, yes Rollmops.


Coincidentally, Rollmops were mentioned on tonight's episode of Jeopardy. I knew the answer because of this thread.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Atunah said:


> Ah, yes Rollmops.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

gljones said:


> We have a general rule of thumb in our house. It it's something you have to fight the cat for, than it's not meant to be eaten.


LOL !


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I ate the sardines! And yes, my cats were very interested. They watched me as I ate, but I didn't give any to them.

This thread is giving me a jones for pickled herring. I first had it when I family traveled through Europe, starting in Norway. I haven't had any for a long time, but I think I will look for it the next time I grocery shop.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

R. M. Reed said:


> They watched me as I ate, but I didn't give any to them.


Meanie.


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

I have the same problem with tuna.  I love it, when I open a can the cats surround me and howl.  That in turn gets the dog all excited so he circles the kitchen island like a shark.  
I don't eat tuna much any more.


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## Martel47 (Jun 14, 2010)

This thread cracks me up.  I don't know why exactly, but it does.

I'm not a huge fan of sardines, but have eaten them on occasion.  I am a big fan of making my kids try new foods.  Sometimes I'm sadistic about it.  Particularly memorable episodes include telling my daughter "here, eat this" as I hand her a very hot, whole pepperoncini.  A similar even occurred with my son and a kumquat.  "here, eat this" is no longer heard without suspicion in my house.  But, the kids are brave, and they did try sardines once.  Alas, a repeat will not happen.

I much prefer canned salmon...it was one of my favorite things growing up.  No one in my family likes it either.  I can only cook it if my wife is gone for the day, but I'm okay with that...more for me.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Martel47 said:


> This thread cracks me up. I don't know why exactly, but it does.


Um, because we're discussing sardines for three pages? Doesn't that seem a little... weird?


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## gljones (Nov 6, 2012)

Susan in VA said:


> Um, because we're discussing sardines for three pages? Doesn't that seem a little... weird?


Where else can you go and talk about sardines, tuna and salmon all in the same thread


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

gljones said:


> Where else can you go and talk about sardines, tuna and salmon all in the same thread


And Rollmops, don't forget the Rollmops.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Martel47 said:


> I much prefer canned salmon...it was one of my favorite things growing up. No one in my family likes it either. I can only cook it if my wife is gone for the day, but I'm okay with that...more for me.


http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/barton-seavers-pink-salmon-cakes-with-dill-and-mustard.html
This is my easy, go-to canned salmon recipe


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

T.L. Haddix said:


> I wonder how good salmon patties made with oatmeal instead of crackers would turn out - anyone know? I've not found a good substitute for saltines yet. (That includes in meatloaf, which I've not yet tried with oatmeal.)


have you tried Panko Crumbs, I think they would be perfect for what you are looking for


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

T.L. Haddix said:


> (That includes in meatloaf, which I've not yet tried with oatmeal.)


I make meatloaf with oatmeal. It's delicious! I usually mix the oatmeal with ground turkey instead of hamburger these days. Of course, I enjoy sardines, so I'm not sure my taste in food can be trusted.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Oops I thought you just didn't like saltines.


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## Martel47 (Jun 14, 2010)

T.L. Haddix said:


> I wonder how good salmon patties made with oatmeal instead of crackers would turn out - anyone know? I've not found a good substitute for saltines yet. (That includes in meatloaf, which I've not yet tried with oatmeal.)


I have tried oatmeal in both, but used it with some other ingredients in salmon patties because I was out of Ritz (which I preferred to saltines). It worked well in the meatloaf, but it needed to be crushed or ground pretty well to work in the salmon, IMO. Worked great in meatloaf.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

We never did the rollmopps. Just the herring pieces, since that was all we could get. I get them now at Sam's Club (the pickled herring pieces, that is). I wonder if you could wrap bacon around them? My mom used to make a hot German potato salad when we were young. Had bacon, potatoes (of course), hard boiled egg, a bit of vinegar and other unknown substances. Haven't had that for years!


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