Just like sardines get jam-packed into their tins, they are also jam packed with nutrients, the whole lot of ‘em including oodles of vitamins and minerals, which after all is why our body makes us hungry. It wants the goods. Sardines are an awesomely lean protein source with ten times their weight in nutritional value:
Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids: Protect the heart from various disease, increase good cholesterol, lower high blood pressure, prevent formation of blood clots, improve skin texture, prevent wrinkles and nourish the nervous system, to name a few.
Vitamin D: Food is always better than a pill and sardines are rich in vitamin D, essential to keep us smiling through the winter and keep our bones strong.
Vitamin B12: This can be a tricky one to get but is vital for a healthy nervous system, boosts energy levels and necessary for healthy blood cells.
Phosphorus: Forget calcium, phosphorus is essential for bone health and sardines are one of the few foods rich in phosphorus. Phosphorus maximizes the kidney’s ability to excrete waste properly, important for normal teeth and bone formation.
This kind of nutrition helps with weight management, heart health, bone health, and nervous system health. Now, forget about all that and just enjoy them because they are delicious.
This recipe was a total and complete experiment. I thought this might go the way of the zucchini cake (the only cooking experiment I have ever thrown out), but let me tell you, these fritters were perfecto mundo. Trust me! But if you want your kids to eat them, just call them fritters. No one needs to know about the ‘dines.
Sardine Fritters
- 1 can organic sardines in water
- 1 sweet potato, steamed and mashed
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup chickpea flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, ground
- 1 tsp fenugreek, ground
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1/ 2 cup water
- Steam sweet potato slightly and then whir through the food processor with the water until you get a smooth paste
- While the sweet potato is steaming, crack open that can of sardines, drain them and transfer to a large mixing bowl with lemon juice
- Mash sardines and lemon juice together with a fork and then mix in sweet potato/water mix, onion, olive oil and egg
- In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients, chickpea flour, baking powder, spices and salt
- Combine wet ingredients and dry. Mix thoroughly.
- Heat up a skillet, add oil as needed. If you have a good titanium-type skillet, you may be able to skip the oil for cooking.
- Spoon the batter into the pan and cook. Flip once until lightly golden on each side.
- Alternately, you can bake these in your oven at 350° for about 25-30 minutes, flipping once and baking another 5 minutes or so until dry on both sides and firm in the middle.
Image courtesy of food stories.
