tinned fish

Consider this your family&#x27;s new favorite flavor-packed, pantry-friendly pasta dinner. 

Sardine Pasta

sardines

capers

lemon

garlic

anchovy

spaghetti

olive oil

red pepper flakes

cherry tomatoes tomatoes

kosher salt,

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, drain 4 cans sardines. Slice them open and remove and discard the bones. Coarsely chop 2 tablespoons capers. Cut 1/2 medium lemon into wedges. Finely chop 2 garlic cloves and 2 anchovy fillets. 

Add 1 pound spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente, about 9 minutes. Meanwhile, start the sauce.

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, anchovies, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is softened and the anchovies are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the capers and cook until they begin to pop, about 1 minute.

Add 2 cans cherry tomatoes and their juices and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Add the sardines, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the pasta is ready.

Using tongs, transfer the pasta to the sauce. Cook over medium heat and gently toss, adding pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time as needed, until the pasta is well coated and glossy with sauce. Taste and season with salt as needed. Serve immediately with the lemon wedges.

Sardine Patties

panko breadcrumbs

garlic cloves, minced

Tablespoons ginger

green onions,

cilantro, roughly chopped

eggs

onion

salt and ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

sardines (you can also use mackerel

vegetable oil

Oil spray

mayonnaise

lemon,

Tablespoon shichimi pepper blend

salt

black pepper

Place the bread crumbs, garlic, ginger, green onions, cilantro, eggs, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Grate the onion over the bowl using the large holes. Mix everything together to create a wet paste.

Drain the sardines well and flake it with your fingers. Set aside.

Add the sardines. Stir gently until everything is nicely mixed together. 

Using a ¼ cup ice cream scoop or a measuring cup, portion out 9 balls. Scoop the balls into your hands and press the ball into a compact patty about inch thick.

Place a piece of parchment paper onto the baking sheet and spray generously with oil. Put your patties onto the parchment lined pan.

Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the patties over gently and bake for an additional 5 minutes until they are a nice golden color. 

While the patties are baking, make the sauce. Over a small bowl zest the lemon and then juice it. Add the mayonnaise, shichimi pepper, salt, and ground black pepper to taste.

Mix the sauce with a whisk or fork until smooth and creamy.

Serve the patties immediately with the sauce.

Tinned Fish Sopes

240 g (2 packed cups) Heirloom Blue Corn Masa Harina

254 ml (2 cups or 300 grams) warm water

avocados

lime

Salt

½ lb smoked trout or other tinned fish

Roma tomatoes, de-seeded and diced

English cucumber, diced

carrot,

Serrano pepper, chopped

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Vinegar-based sauce,

Pickled red onions

Put your masa harina in a large bowl. Add warm water, starting with 2 cups, and mix, kneading with your hands, for about three minutes. Add more water if needed, a bit at a time, until the dough reaches a Play-Doh-like consistency. Cover with a damp paper towel and let rest while you make the other components.

Portion the masa into 8 equal-sized balls (68 g each).

Using a tortilla press, your hand or the bottom of a glass, press the masa into 1 cm discs and cook on a preheated comal or griddle, flipping after about a minute and a half, until each side gets a bit of char.

Remove from the heat and pinch around the edges to create a base for the sope (careful not to burn your fingers!).

Mash the avocado in a bowl or molcajete and season with lime and salt to taste. Reserve.

In a bowl, break the fish into large pieces and mix in the tomatoes, cucumber, Serrano, carrots, lime and salt to taste.

Reheat the sopes (pinched ridge side-down) until the base is crispy. To the base of the sope, add the guacamole followed the fish mixture. Garnish with pickled red onion and hot sauce to taste and enjoy.

There are few meals under R20 which can feed a family of 4. There are even fewer meals under R20 which can feed a family of 4 and still be absolutely delicious, as a famous Durban Tinned Fish Curry.

Durban Lucky Star Tinned Fish Curry

Tin Pilchards (chilli is best)

milliliters Sunflower Oil

Large Onions (Finely chopped)

2-3 Jam tomatoes (or more if you want more gravy)

Curry leaves

Star Anise

Cinnamon Stick

Teaspoon Jeera, Powder or Whole Seeds (cumin)

Teaspoon Chilli Powder (or Cayenne Pepper if you want hot)

Tablespoons Masala / Curry Powder

potato

Remove pilchards from the can, leaving the sauce behind. Cut them down the belly and remove bones and any stomach etc that you may find inside. (keep the sauce, we will add to the pot later)

Add star anise, cinnamon and jeera (cumin) and allow to fry. (do not burn your spices)

Add Masala / Curry Power and let fry (do not let burn)

Add a dash of water if required if the mixture is too dry

Lower the heat and let simmer until the mixture has cooked down and the oil is starting to float to the top

Add curry leaves and let simmer for 2 minutes

Cover and let simmer until the potatoes are soft and almost cooked.

Add your fish, laying them down on the sauce. Spoon sauce on top of the fish. Turn the heat right down, cover the pot and allow to simmer for 5 or so minutes.

Take the pot off the heat and allow to stand for at least 15 minutes.

Serve with rice, fresh buttered bread, roti or however you like it.

A jacket potato filled with spicy beans and tuna makes a filling meal whatever time of the day. Using beans already combined with a chilli sauce, means you don’t need to buy a range of different spices to make this dish. It’s also delicious made without the tuna and extra cheese instead.

This recipe is part of a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/budget_microwave_meal_plan_for_one"> budget microwave meal plan for one</a>. In March 2023, it was costed at an average total of £1.23 when checking prices at four UK supermarkets. It is designed to be made in conjunction with a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/budget_recipes">low-cost store-cupboard</a>.

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Sardine Pasta

Sardine Patties

Tinned Fish Sopes

Durban Lucky Star Tinned Fish Curry

Microwave jacket potato with tuna a...

Top 5 tinned fish recipes from across the web

The most viewed tinned fish recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Sardine Pasta

Sardine Patties

Tinned Fish Sopes

Durban Lucky Star Tinned Fish Curry

Microwave jacket potato with tuna a...

The most viewed tinned fish recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine