How is it that the French do everything so well? Throughout our travels, we are always amazed at how consistently delicious everything in France seems to be!
Sure, the restaurants are incredible, the teahouses are elegant and the patisserie are to die for...but as you'll learn below, even an ingredient like the humble sardine can be elevated to new culinary heights in the hands of the French...
"Les Mouettes d'Arvor" The Seagulls of Arvor
We like to imagine that the founders ofLes Mouettes d'Arvor named it such because seagulls have their pick of the sea - sardines, mackerel and tuna all swim near the port of Concarneau in Western France. And since the fishing business is seasonal - tuna in the summer, sardines in the spring, mackerel in the cool months - their well-trained workers are busy year-round.
There are so many reasons to eat sardines...
~ they're plentiful (after nearly being fished to extinction in the 1940's)
~ sardines are a small fish (so they're low in mercury because they don't eat bigger fish!)
~ they have very high levels of all the things that make fish good for us (omega-3, B-12 & zinc)
But above and beyond all of this, sardines are simply delicious. We use them in dozens of ways in our kitchens and once you have these exquisite sardines in your kitchen, we think you will as well.
NEW! Sardines from Les Mouettes d'Arvor
We offer two varieties of sardines from Les Mouettes d'Arvor - the green can contains the sardines packed in extra virgin olive oil. The yellow can, our favorite, has a slice of lemon tucked inside. The flavor of these sardines is more subtle and delicate than what you may have tried before. The careful preparation, all done by hand, ensures a pristine finished product.
Because we're lovers of all things pasta, our favorite way to use these is Pasta con le Sarde, or pasta with sardines...our recipe is below.
We also love mashing the sardines into a coarse paste and using to top crostini - add mashed avocado (this was Alton Brown's recipe for weight-loss success!) or use white beans livened up with a little garlic, herbs and capers.
It's also nice to use sardines to flavor other dishes - we like a little mashed into a fish cake or potato cakes. And who're we kidding..you just can't be a slice of toasted rye bread with coarse mustard and a sardine!
Pasta con le sarde
- 8 ounces dried pasta, we like bucatini here
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 small head of fennel, sliced thinly
- 1 can of sardines, oil reserved
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs (fresh is best, but dried will work as well)
Cook the bucatini in a large pot of salted, boiling water.
In a large cold skillet, add the olive oil and sliced garlic and place over medium heat. As the oil heats and the garlic starts to sizzle, keep it moving and allow the garlic to turn golden, but not brown. Once golden, remove the garlic "chips" and set aside.
Add the chili flakes and fennel and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the sardines and break up with a wooden spoon. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine.
In a separate small pan, heat the oil from the can of sardines. When hot, add the breadcrumbs and stir attentively while the breadcrumbs toast. When well-browned, remove from the heat and add the lemon zest. Set aside.
Now it's time to bring it all together! When it's jut shy of al dente, remove the pasta from the water and add to the large pan with the fennel and sardines, along with a ladle of pasta water. Turn the heat to high and stir to combine. Allow to cook for a minute while the pasta finishes cooking, adding more pasta water as needed. Once perfectly done, add the breacrumbs and toss to combine. Serve immediately in warm bowls.
NEW! Diavoletti from Frantoio Bianco
These "little devils" come to us from Frantoio Bianco, one of Liguria's oldest and most-treasured producers of extra virgin olive oil.
This product brings together two of Liguria's best assets - the bounty of the Mediterranean Sea and the abundance of fresh vegetables. They've taken a small cherry pepper and stuffed it with a savory mix of freshly-preserved tuna, anchovies and capers. The result is the quickest and tastiest hors d'oeuvres imaginable - a little heat from the pepper and the luscious filling make for an easy and impressive little snack to enjoy with cocktails or wine before dinner.
LIMITED SUPPLIES! Order a jar now for $15.00
Latest Articles
