Fried eggs topped with a sardine, lemon and parsley salad with crispy capers.

This recipe is a simple yet delicious (and healthy!!) way to enjoy sardines for breakfast or brunch. The rich, umami flavor of the sardines is complemented by the crispy, bright, briny taste of fried capers, the fresh, herbaceous notes of parsley and the bright and acidic tang of lemon — all atop simple fried eggs. These eggs are best served with a side of your favorite toast and a green salad.

What are fishermen’s eggs?

Sardines with eggs is also referred to as fishermen’s eggs — a rustic, comforting dish often associated with seaside or fishing communities and would frequently be the dish that fishermen would eat before heading out on their fishing boat. It typically consists of eggs baked or cooked together with ingredients like smoked fish, fresh seafood, or canned fish (like sardines). The dish often incorporates vegetables, herbs, and sometimes cheese, for a hearty, flavorful meal.

Sardines are a nutrition powerhouse.

You’ve probably heard that fatty fish like sardines, are packed with heart and brain health promoting omega-3 fatty acids. Yet, few of us actually pop open a tin of sardines on a regular basis. This is probably because Americans, in general, only love canned tuna, but are less open-minded when it comes to trying other types of tinned seafood, like sardines. This is a shame, of course, because tinned seafood can be incredibly delicius, convenient and affordable — and there is an endless variety to choose from. Thankfully, tinned fish is seeing something of a resurgence thanks in part to social media, which will hopefully inspire more of us to crack open tinned seafood more regularly. After all, Europeans have been eating tinned fish for centuries, especially the Portuguese, French, Spanish and Italians.

Aside from omega-3 fats, sardines are also rich in protein, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, selenium, calcium, zinc and more.

What do you need to make these sardines and eggs?

• eggs
• olive oil
• sardines in olive oil (use your favorite brand – those that have lemon in them would be great in here)
• fresh parsley
• capers (you’ll fry these into little tiny bite-sized crispy nuggets)
• lemon (you’ll use the juice and zest)
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

How do you make this sardine and eggs recipe?

1. Drain the sardine tin and add the sardines to a small bowl. Add in lemon zest, chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon. Toss.
2. Add olive oil to a medium skillet. Add capers to the skillet over medium heat and fry until crispy, 2-3 minutes. Once crispy, remove from heat.
3. Add another small splash of olive oil to the skillet over medium heat.
4. Crack the eggs into the skillet, taking care not to break the yolk. Reduce heat to medium low.
5. Fry the eggs until desired doneness.
6. Plate the eggs. Top with the sardine mixture and fried capers.
7. Serve eggs with arugula salad and buttered toast, if desired.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

What brand of sardines should you use?

Use whichever brand of sardines you like. Matiz is probably our favorite. Others we’ve enjoyed include Fishwife (they have a version with preserved lemon), Siesta, Ortiz and King Oscar.

Can you use another type of fish for this recipe?

If you’re not a sardine fan, tinned tuna (in oil) would be a good substitute. Or, try this smoked salmon eggs recipe which uses cold smoked salmon folded into scrambled eggs. It’s incredible!

Looking for more tasty and easy sardine recipes? Try these:

• Sardine melt
• Sardine avocado toast
• Spring seacuterie board