Family Recipe: Uncle Sam's Sardines

It's packed with Omega-3 fatty acids and it comes in a can...I'm talking about sardines! This recipe was first introduced to me by my Uncle Samuel when I was a kid. He didn't cook all the time because of his busy work schedule but when he did, it was really man-food good. Come to think of it, all the males on my mother's side are great cooks thanks to my grandpa. And I know he wouldn't want me to announce this but Uncle Sam is still single, great with children, clean and he's a great cook! (hehe I'll ask for forgiveness later)

Well, this dish is best served with warm rice and a side of cold sliced cucumbers. The dish calls for tomatoes, I used cherry tomatoes this time but any kind of tomato will do. I hope you enjoy making and eating it as much I do!

What you will need:

1 can of Sardines in tomato sauce with or without chilies

6-8 halved Cherry Tomatoes (Use a different kind if you wish)

2 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil

3-5 cloves of Garlic, minced

2-3 stalks of diced Green Onions (separate green from white part)

1/2 cup of chopped Cilantro

2-3 Green Chilies, sliced or use 1 tablespoon of Red Crushed Peppers

1-2 teaspoon of Fish Sauce

1/2 a Lemon or Lime

Salt and Pepper to taste

• Heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Then add garlic, chilies/red crushed peppers and a pinch of salt. Fry garlic until aromatic and slightly golden.

• Add green onions (only the white part) and tomatoes, saute until tomatoes are softened. Press tomatoes to burst their pulp. 

• Then add sardines, fish sauce, 1/4 cup of cilantro and salt & pepper to taste. Heat all the ingredients for about 2-3 minutes. Stirring gently occasionally. Squeeze lime/lemon over dish, mix in the rest of the cilantro and green onions, heat for 1 more minute.

• Remove from heat and let cool for about 2 minutes.  Serve in a separate bowl from rice and add a side of sliced cool cucumbers for dipping! 

Just in case you were wondering what kind of sardines I used:

They cost $.69-$1 each and I used the Green can this time.