Canned sardines are a healthy choice

Canned sardines are a simple and often budget-friendly way to add some added nutrients to your meal rotation.

An open can of sardines on a wooden block

Canned sardines are a relatively budget-friendly and easy ingredient to find at almost any grocery store in Canada. While many people are familiar with canned tuna or salmon, sardines seems to be less popular but no less delicious, and they are a good source of nutrients.

A bit about sardines

Sardines are eaten around the world in a variety of recipes. In this post we’ll be talking about canned or tinned sardines.

It’s said that we have Napoleon Bonaparte to thank for canned sardines. He was on the look out for a way to preserve food to feed the troops, and canning sardines was a result.
Sardines are often sold canned instead of fresh, especially in areas where fresh fish isn’t available, because fresh sardines don’t last long and are highly perishable.
The name for sardines most likely came about in the 15th century in the Mediterranean around the area of Sardinia where the sardines were abundant.
The term sardine is a catch-all term for 6 different species of fish belonging to the Clupeidae family.
There are 20 varieties of fish sold as sardines around the world. They are a small oily fish. The skin may be silvery or black, the flesh can be a pale colour or a bit more reddish-brown.
Sardines are classified as a cold-water fish in the same category as mackerel, herring, smelt, salmon and halibut.

Things to consider when buying canned sardines

The fish is cleaned – head and guts removed – and steamed so they are ready to eat right out of the can.
The bone or spine is left in and is edible. It’s soft enough that you probably won’t even notice that it’s there.
You will find sardines packed in olive oil, soybean oil, spring water, a tomato sauce, a mustard sauce, packed with hot peppers, or even smoked.
The cost of sardines will depend on where you buy them (a grocery store or a specialty store), where you are in the world and where they were caught. For example: here in Toronto (Canada) I can find a tin of sardines for about $2 in the grocery store or up to $9.99 in specialty or health food stores.
In the tin, sardines have a long shelf life. Buy them on sale to keep in your pantry.

Health benefits of sardines

Are sardines a healthy choice? Yes! They are packed with nutrients. There is an abundance of information available about the health benefits of sardines. The majority of this information is from The World’s Healthiest Foods: Essential Guide by George Mateljian (affiliate link).

These small fish feed on plankton, which means that the concern about heavy metals in fish does not generally apply to tinned sardines.
They reproduce quickly and there is an abundant wild population, however you should check the package to determine the source.
Sardines are a rich source of nutrients: protein, a concentrated source of vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids and iron amongst others.