Because sardines are fish, they do have heads. Although sardine heads are perfectly safe and healthy to eat, most modern consumers of tinned sardines would prefer not to eat the heads or innards, and so they are removed at the factory before being cooked, flavored, and packaged.
Fish such as sardines, pilchards and herring are delicious to eat whole, but not everyone likes all the small bones – although they are edible.
Sardines with bones and skin are delicious, too, and they look awesome on top of a salad or platter. P.S. The bones and skin are both edible. Those tiny bones deliver calcium too!
Canned sardines
At the cannery, the fish are washed, their heads are removed, and the fish are then smoked or cooked, either by deep-frying or by steam-cooking, after which they are dried. They are then packed in either olive, sunflower, or soybean oil, water, or in a tomato, chili, or mustard sauce.
You can simply eat canned sardines as are. You may want to drain the liquid they come in. You can easily add some oil, mayonnaise, hot sauce, mustard, or other seasonings; put them into a salad, or grill with some onions and garlic to seal in additional flavour.
Many cultures revere the humble sardine, especially when pulled sparkling fresh from the sea. In Sicily, Italians love to roll up sardines stuffed with breadcrumbs, garlic, herbs and a little tangy hard cheese, then bake them or throw them on a hot barbecue.
Open the Sardine and Remove the Bones
Run your fingers or your knife along the fish's backbone to loosen it from the meat. Starting from the head and working towards the tail, gently lift out the backbone and ribs. The tail should pull off with the bones. If it doesn't, cut it off or pull it off separately.
You can buy tinned sardines that are skinless and boneless, but the skin and bones are completely edible, supply a good amount of sardines' calcium content, and are soft enough that most people don't even mind (or notice) them.
Almost all sardines are beheaded, de-finned, and gutted before they are canned. Frequently this is done with a visible slice along the belly of the fish, but sometimes the organs are instead extracted through the neck.
Yes, that is sardine roe. In Portugal it is considered a delicacy on a par with caviar.
Because sardines contain purines, which break down into uric acid, they aren't a good choice for those at risk of kidney stone formation. The high sodium in sardines can also increase calcium in your urine, which is another risk factor for kidney stones.
The reasons are as follows: first, gastric acid (equivalent to 0.2%–0.4% hydrochloric acid) is secreted in the stomach, which is able to soften and dissolve fish bones, which are a type of bones mainly comprising calcium. The fish bones can then not damage the digestive tract.
No need to worry about the bones - sardines have bones that are so soft they are more like cartilage than actual bone. Most grocery stores will carry a variety of canned sardines.
Sardines are at the bottom of the food chain and feed entirely on plankton. For this reason, they are much safer for eating, even with their guts, than many larger species of fish that build up heavy metals and contaminants in their tissue throughout their lifetime.
Do I have to gut sardines? If you are cooking them whole as in the photo, you do not need to gut them. Just rub off the scales with a cloth or paper towel, then wash and pat dry. If they are not too big, you can eat everything; otherwise, they come off the bone easily once cooked.
Still, tuna is high in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and Vitamins B and A. This fish is also a good source of iron, phosphorous, and selenium. Sardines do not have a lot of mercury in them, so they're healthier in that regard. They mostly survive on plankton.
Because sardines are fish, they do have heads. Although sardine heads are perfectly safe and healthy to eat, most modern consumers of tinned sardines would prefer not to eat the heads or innards, and so they are removed at the factory before being cooked, flavored, and packaged.
Entrepreneur and VC Craig Cooper swears by eating 5 cans of sardines a day. (And loves a 22-minute power nap.) Being an entrepreneur means doing things differently: Creating new products and services. Finding new ways to solve old problems.
As soon as they return from the boats, the fresh sardines are scaled, gutted and then pre-cooked in oil or steam. They are then manually placed in their cans after being selected. The cans are then filled with quality olive oil and crimped before being sealed.
High in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin B12 and selenium, sardines in a can are one of the few ingredients on the market that are super healthy, budget-friendly, convenient and delicious.
Underneath the skin you will find the flakey flesh of the fish. Some people will peel the skin off before eating, but many prefer to leave it on. With the flesh exposed you can gently pull the cooked flesh off the bones, leaving the spine and innards alone. Afterwards you can then flip the fish and do the same again.
In fact, sardine bones actually contain many vital nutrients including calcium and other important minerals, and, because sardines are also high in vitamin D, the calcium in sardines bones is more effectively absorbed and utilized by your body.
By filleting sardines this way, you force the bones out of the flesh. When you cut sardines with a knife, you cut through the bones, leaving them behind in the fillets. Start by gutting the fish. Place the fish on a clean napkin with the belly facing you.
Sardines are canned, which means the high heat of a pressure canner. That is what softens the bones. If you are wanting softer bones for other kinds of fish, you can either cook them using a pressure cooker or can them.