Easy Pan Fried Sardine Salad Recipe

This sardine salad recipe is jam-packed with healthy nutrients, delicious flavor, and it’s refreshing. If you haven’t tried fried sardines yet, now is the time! I can’t wait to share one of the best sardine recipes ever with you.

Let me start out by saying that I used to HATE sardines. The thought, smell and look disgusted me where I wanted nothing to do with them. However, after trying a tiny little bit I realized they honestly didn’t taste any different than canned tuna. AND they’re chock full of wonderful nutrients, making these a wonderful protein choice. Not to mention that they’re affordable and versatile.

A quick pan fry turns sardines into a delicious treat! Don’t be scared, it’s time to try them out.

How To Make Fried Sardines Salad

Get ready to make one of the best sardine recipes ever! Read on, you’ll love how easy this salad is. Here are the quick and easy steps to make this sardine salad recipe:

• Marinate sardines in lemon juice. Let them marinate for 30 minutes.
• Cook sweet potatoes. Add the diced sweet potatoes into boiling water and cook until tender.
• Make the dressing. Whisk together mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Slowly add olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper.
• Fry the sardines. Dredge sardines in tapioca mixture and pan fry in coconut oil until they are brown and crispy.
• Toss together the salad. Put watercress, arugula, parsley, and sweet potatoes in a bowl. Drizzle with sardine dressing and top with the crispy fried sardines.

Is This Sardine Salad Recipe Healthy?

Yes, this sardine salad is packed full of nutrients from the sardines as well as watercress. Watercress is actually a top “superfood” because it has so many antioxidants. It contains more than 15 essential vitamins and minerals, more iron than spinach, more calcium than milk, and more vitamin C than oranges.

And the sardines? Oh, they are plenty nutritious too!

Regarding sardines nutrient content, they provide more calcium and phosphorus than milk, more iron than spinach, more potassium than coconut water and bananas, and as much protein as steak. Plus, they’re a great source of omega 3’s, vitamin B12, vitamin D and selenium.

Is It Safe To Eat Sardines Every Day?

Yes, it’s safe to eat sardines frequently! This is great news because you can make your favorite recipes using sardines on a regular basis, without the concern of excess mercury.

With some seafood, you have to be careful of the mercury content, but the body of sardines don’t accumulate mercury.

Are Bones In Sardines Edible?

Yes, you can eat the entire fried sardines, bones and all. The bones are super tiny and thin, so you won’t even notice them. No need to worry about that when you eat this sardine salad recipe!

How Do You Store This Sardine Salad Recipe?

You can store this sardine salad recipe will last 2-3 days in the fridge if you have leftovers. I recommend storing the fried sardines, dressing, and arugula separately, to keep the greens from getting soggy.

More Paleo Salad Recipes

I know some people think that salads are boring, but my paleo salad recipes are all loaded with flavor and delicious ingredients. I don’t do boring salads! Take a look at some of my favorites:

• Strawberry Cucumber Mint Salad – So fresh and light, perfect for summer.
• Grilled Potato Salad With Onions & Vinaigrette – This is a salad you won’t soon forget! So good.
• Avocado Salmon Salad With Fennel And Grapefruit – Refreshing and full of flavor.

Easy Pan Fried Sardine Salad Recipe:
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RECIPE CARD

4.89 from 9 votes

Easy Pan Fried Sardine Salad Recipe

See how to make a sardine salad recipe that's delicious AND healthy. These easy fried sardines make a perfect meal. One of the best sardine recipes out there!

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword best sardine recipes, fried sardines, sardine salad recipe

Calories 483 kcal

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes

Total Time 36 minutes

Author Maya Krampf from WickedSpatula.com

Servings 4 servings

★ Review Print

Ingredients

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• 2 cans Sardines (packed in olive oil or water)
• 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons Tapioca flour
• 1 pinch Cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch Chili powder
• 1 pinch Cumin
• 1 pinch Sea salt
• 1 pinch Black pepper
• 3 tablespoons Coconut oil (for frying)
• 2 cups Watercress (including stems)
• 2 cups Arugula
• 1/2 cup Fresh parsley (minced)
• 4 small Purple sweet potatoes

Dressing

• 1 tablespoon Whole grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Lemon juice
• 1 dash Hot sauce
• 1/4 cup Olive oil
• Sea salt (to taste)
• Black pepper (to taste)

Click to convert between US & metric measurements:

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

More TIPS about this paleo recipe in the post above!

1. Place the sardines in a medium bowl with their juices and squeeze the lemon over them. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and dice the sweet potatoes into bit size pieces. Place in boiling water and cook 7-10 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Drain and set aside.

3. For the dressing, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Stream in the olive oil while whisking to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Mix together the tapioca starch and spices. Heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat and remove sardines from marinade, dredge the sardines in the tapioca. Pan fry 3 minutes per side until nicely browned and crisp.

5. Toss the water cress, arugula, parsley, and sweet potatoes with the dressing. Top with sardines and serve.

Recipe Notes

Serving Size: 1/4 entire recipe

Nutrition Information Per Serving

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 483

Fat 31g

Protein 18g

Total Carbs 33g

Net Carbs 29g

Fiber 4g

Sugar 5g

Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. Net carb count excludes both fiber and sugar alcohols (though the latter are rarely seen on this site), because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.

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