Sardines and Rice

Love sardines?  This one’s for you to try.  If not, at least just read through the whole post.

I don’t know if eating sardines with rice is common here in the US.  When I was in Chicago, a good friend of mine said that she ate sardines by putting it on top of crackers.  I’ve never heard of eating sardines that way;  she also hasn’t heard of eating sardines with rice.  As for me, I’ve been eating the sardines-and-rice way for as long as I can remember.

Here’s what I had for lunch today:

This is the kind of sardines I buy at the Asian store. If you live in a big city, you may be able to find this kind in one of those produce stores that carry international products. Ligo, I like you!

I dumped the contents of the Ligo sardines, tomato sauce and all, on top of leftover rice and cooked this duo in the microwave. The rice soaks up the rich tomato sauce really well. I could eat this just like this any time of any day!!

In the pantry was a can of green beans waiting to be consumed so I cooked that in the microwave, drained it and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I also added some butter just to add some depth to the flavor of an otherwise blah canned green beans.

Ta-da! Doesn't that look good, not to mention, healthy?! Did you know that sardines are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and iron? That's right! You heard me!

This is what happens when I get so happy eating a can of sardines with rice! Mmmm...mmmm!!

Uh…Honey, don’t worry, I’ll have brushed my teeth by the time you get home!

Yes, folks, my Hubby can’t quite tolerate the smell of sardines, much less the taste!  As you may have noticed, I had this for lunch, not dinner when he’s home.  I tried, in our more than seven years of marriage, to convince him to give sardines a try but to no avail.  In fact, sardines is just one of those things I cook, amongst many, whose smell he just cannot tolerate.  Don’t get me wrong, my Babe is not a picky eater, but his nose is just a little too sensitive for the likes of fish paste, shrimp paste, shrimp crackers, dried fish, and fish sauce.  Yes, they just all happen to have “fish” or “shrimp” somewhere in their names and they all happen to be Philippine products.  And I bet you wouldn’t much fancy these things too if you didn’t grow up with them either.

Anyways…back to my lunch today.  If and when I had the time and patience, I would have cooked the sardines a lot different.  First, I’d saute sliced onions in a little oil until they’re translucent.  Then, I’d add the green beans, season with salt and pepper, and let them cook for a good 5 minutes, until the beans are tender.  Finally, I’ll add the sardines and a little bit of water and let that cook for another 3 minutes until the flavor has just infused into the green beans.  Quick and easy!

Sometimes, I will make the same meal but with a different vegetable.  Cabbage is one of my favorite sardine partner.  The sweetness of the cooked cabbage gives the meal a different dimension in taste.  Or, I’ll cook it with calabasa (squash).  Or, with calabasa and beans.  Those are good pairings too.  The possibility is endless here.

You’re probably wondering why sardines is being used as a meal, instead of as a snack like my friend in Chicago did, eating it with crackers.  See, where I come from, sardines is considered a meat and flavoring, only sardines is way way cheaper than meat.  So we would cook it alongside vegetables of all varieties.  We add a lot of water to the recipe too and that is so that the sardines’ flavor is infused in the veggies it is being cooked with.  This way, a small can of sardines can go a long ways in feeding a family of 8-10.

By the way, Hubby has come a long ways in eating fish.  He’s tried Florida grouper, tilapia, and salmon and he likes them.  A LOT.  The one thing he’s not sold on are seashells like shrimp and/or lobster.  But the thing he REALLY REALLY LOVES?  Sushi, baby!!  Ya, I’m still confused!