Ingredient: Sardines
High above Cornish coves, lookouts called ‘huers’ once watched for the sea to turn red-purple as a vast shoal of sardines came into the bay. Today, small day boats from Newlyn and Mevagissey catch Cornish sardines using ring nets.
Tinned sardines are one of my favourite kitchen heroes. Their fiddly bones become beautifully soft and edible in the tin, providing calcium for your bones and teeth, which is especially handy if you’re off dairy. Their omega-3 fats support your brain, eyes and heart, while iodine helps your thyroid make the hormones that regulate metabolism.
On a busy weekday, mash a tin of them onto toast with lemon and chilli, stir through spaghetti with garlic, chilli and parsley, or blend with cream cheese and roasted peppers for a milder pâté. Fresh, they are delicious grilled with lots of lemon and garlic.
