Sneak Canned Sardines Into Your Next Pasta Salad For More Flavor

The long-overdue sardine renaissance has finally arrived, and it's going to change the game for some of your favorite pasta salads. Canned fish in general has been a hot commodity the past few years. Smoked mussels and high-quality tuna may have been fastest out of the gate, but it's time for people to remember how good canned sardines can be. Like anchovies or pickled herring, sardines sometimes divide opinions because of how pungent they are, yet the flavor is milder, making them surprisingly versatile. They shouldn't be slept on as an ingredient you can sneak into sauces, stews, and other dishes as a source of flavor. And, of all the places you can try out the best canned sardine brands, one of the easiest to experiment with is pasta salad.

There are plenty of different forms of pasta salad, and almost all of them benefit from something meaty for umami notes that can stand up to fatty mayo bases or tangy vinegar dressings. Canned sardines bring a great mix of flavorful (yet not overpowering) fishy savoriness, along with salty notes that will liven up duller recipes. It's a nice one-two punch that can round out any dish that needs protein to be more filling and satisfying, while bringing more flavor to the table than chicken breast or tuna.

Speaking of tuna, it's a great place to start when you're looking for pasta salad recipes to try out canned sardines. The two fish are similar enough to be easily interchangeable in the same amounts, but sardines have more briny flavor that will elevate the ingredients around it. That's especially true in recipes like our zippy tuna pasta salad, where a creamy mayo, crème fraîche, and herb mix really benefit from the balance that more pungent sardines add.

While the fat from mayo can be a great pairing to tamper down on sardines' fishiness, the sardines also bring their own richness, especially if packed in oil, which can do wonders for sharper pasta salad recipes. Something like an antipasti Italian pasta salad is full of bright, acidic flavors that will be complemented by sardines. As a little bonus, the pairing of briny olives and artichoke hearts will bring out the same flavors in your sardines.

Don't fret about how you are preparing your sardines for pasta salad. They come in boneless versions, but the small bones are actually easy to eat and contain plenty of nutrients, so you can just chop up whatever you have and toss them in. Alternatively, really infuse that sardine flavor by mashing them up and mixing them directly into your dressing.