# Sardines anyone?



## Kayelle (Jun 13, 2016)

Who loves sardines, besides me?

I recently purchased these at Costco, and they are really good!!







Besides enjoying them right out of the can, here's some ideas about what to do with the lill darlings.....

13 Things to Do With Canned Sardines - Chowhound


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## Cooking Goddess (Jun 13, 2016)

Himself is more of a kipper guy. I don't do any fish in a can. Sorry.

If you have never seen the movie (or play), you should watch "*Noises Off*". Early in the show, sardines have a starring role!  Carol Burnett is in the movie, and she wanders a lot in the beginning looking for her plate of sardines. Seriously, the story is SO much funnier than that! So funny, Himself and I have watched the movie twice and have seen a live performance once. I'm not really fond of Carol Burnett, but there are so many well-known actors in it that I really didn't mind. Michael Caine is my favorite. ~ Not a theatre person, Himself has said he would go to another staged production of Noises Off. Guess he REALLY loves it!


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## GotGarlic (Jun 13, 2016)

I used to enjoy sardines with my mom growing up. I think she would open the can, pour out the oil, put vinegar in and then eat. I haven't had them in years


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## LizStreithorst (Jun 13, 2016)

I like kippers, too.  Sardines don't do much for me.


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## Dawgluver (Jun 13, 2016)

I used to love sardines as a kid at my great aunt's house.  Then I dissected one, and found out there was a skeleton in there!  Haven't had them since, but I should try them again.  Other relatives also loved kippers.


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## Aunt Bea (Jun 13, 2016)

Another fan of sardines!

I like them right out of the can on fingers of buttered rye bread.

If you are not a fan it might be a good idea to try several different brands.  Sardines vary a great deal from one brand to another and unfortunately the more expensive ones usually taste better.

These Mediterranean style sardines are nice!

brisling sardines mediterranean style Â» KING OSCAR – THE BEST SEAFOOD IN THE WORLD

Sardine trivia, it is said that Lord Mountbatten always traveled with a supply of tinned sardines and when he joined a new ship he would always appoint a sailor to turn the tins on a regular basis so the sardines would be evenly bathed in the oil.


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## skilletlicker (Jun 13, 2016)

Aunt Bea said:


> Another fan of sardines!
> 
> I like them right out of the can on fingers of buttered rye bread.
> 
> ...



My favorite brand is King Oscar but I have Crown Prince and Wild Planet also and they're good. Not sure why, but I don't care for the Beach Cliff brand which is the least expensive on my grocery store's shelves. I'm the polar opposite of a food snob, but there is something about Beach Cliff that turns me off.
I like brislings which are smaller and still have skin and bones, though you wouldn't really know it. There's no crunch to them or anything. Also like the slightly larger skinless & boneless.


Like them out of the can, in a sandwich or lots of other ways. Tacos, Over pasta with garlic sauteed in olive oil, salads, etc.

A lot of people childishly turn their nose at sardines.


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## Kaneohegirlinaz (Jun 13, 2016)

Gee ya know, I thought I had a food photo of sardines and onions as we call them in Hawaii, but alas, none.
My Dad and husband enjoy their canned sardines (neither of them are/were picky about the brand) served:
Open can
drain
place a top a bed of hot steamed white rice
top with diced sweet white onions (vidalia or maui)
a drizzle of shoyu (soy sauce)
and a goodly sprinkle of furikake 
GRINDZ!!

Kayelle, on Kauai folks eat their canned sardines with tomato sauce, atop steamed rice, onions AND THEN add a side of canned Pork and Beans (don't heat it up, just open can and pour), CHEE HOO!


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## CharlieD (Jun 14, 2016)

Kayelle said:


> Who loves sardines, besides me?
> 
> I recently purchased these at Costco, and they are really good!!
> 
> [/url]



Will have to check our Costco out. Never see them before. I like sardines a lot, but only certain kinds.


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## LizStreithorst (Jun 15, 2016)

I tried the King Arthur's this afternoon.  To my surprise I liked them a lot!  The only sardines I's tasted before were the conveniences store variety.


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## Kayelle (Jun 15, 2016)

Besides being tasty, sardines are *super stars* for being healthy. Winner Winner!!

Sardines


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## Addie (Jun 15, 2016)

skilletlicker said:


> My favorite brand is King Oscar but I have Crown Prince and Wild Planet also and they're good. Not sure why, but I don't care for the Beach Cliff brand which is the least expensive on my grocery store's shelves. I'm the polar opposite of a food snob, but there is something about Beach Cliff that turns me off.
> I like brislings which are smaller and still have skin and bones, though you wouldn't really know it. There's no crunch to them or anything. Also like the slightly larger skinless & boneless.
> 
> 
> ...



It has been more than 55 years, but the very first food I put in my shopping carriage was a can of King Oscar sardines for my new husband. I don't know why I have remembered that stupid fact after all these years.


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 15, 2016)

Love them....but not the cheap ones. A box of saltines, Louisiana Hot Sauce or hot pepper sauce, a little cheese...I'm happy! Mostly King Oscar, Crown Prince and the like.


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## di reston (Jun 16, 2016)

I love sardines in a salad. I do them with lettuce, tomatoes, any other salad ingredients you care to put in, red onions, hard boiled eggs. I put the oil in as well, and a good squeeze of lemon juice and I'm in heaven. My OH only likes them on toast.

di reston

Enough is never as good as a feast   Oscar Wilde


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jun 17, 2016)

I love sardines, anyway I can get them.  I used to trade my honey-butter sandwiches with my friend for her sardines at lunch.  She thought I was crazy.


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## erehweslefox (Jun 19, 2016)

Sardine Pizza

For dough

1/4 cup white or light red wine
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 oz fresh yeast, or 1 pkg instant yeast
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp + 1tbsp olive oil
3.5 cups flour (14.875 oz)

Wake up the yeast if needed. Combine all ingredients into a dough, reserving 1 tbsp of olive oil. Knead 6-8 minutes until smooth and firm, stretching it periodically. Coat with remaining olive oil and let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled. Knock down, let stand 15 minutes and roll out into a round.

For pizza

1.5 cup ricotta cheese
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
8 oz chopped spinach
1 can sardines
2 tsp Tabasco 
roasted garlic to taste

Top all of this artfully arranged, on dough round. Cook about 35 minutes in an oven preheated to 375 degrees, or until crust is crisp and firm, but not browning. 

I love this pizza, it for some reason horrifies my wife. I just don't think she is a sardine fan. Also can be done with anchovies for additional effect. 

TBS


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## rodentraiser (Jun 20, 2016)

Those sardines in the picture look like they have heads on them. I have a very strict rule about not eating anything that is looking at me.


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## LizStreithorst (Jun 20, 2016)

I didn't notice heads but I may have missed them.  I don't have "no eyes and heads'' rule.  My only rules are no dog nor domestic cat.  I would break those rules if I were starving.  No human period.  I have read that human meat is very tasty, but I'd rather they eat me than I eat them.


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## sparrowgrass (Jun 21, 2016)

My kids used to dissect them and eat the bones first.


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## CharlieD (Jun 21, 2016)

Kayelle said:


> Who loves sardines, besides me?
> 
> I recently purchased these at Costco, and they are really good!!
> 
> ...



Unfortunately  our Costco doesn't have that kind of sardines.


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## Addie (Jun 21, 2016)

CharlieD said:


> Unfortunately  our Costco doesn't have that kind of sardines.



I never understood why chain stores don't all carry the same products.


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## CharlieD (Jun 21, 2016)

Addie said:


> I never understood why chain stores don't all carry the same products.



I know, right...


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## Andy M. (Jun 21, 2016)

Addie said:


> I never understood why chain stores don't all carry the same products.




Because stores in different parts of the country and in different neighborhoods have different customers who may want different things. For example, Hispanic, Asian, etc.


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## Kayelle (Jun 21, 2016)

CharlieD said:


> Unfortunately  our Costco doesn't have that kind of sardines.



Sorry to hear that Charlie. They were giving out free samples when I bought them so I suspect they are a new item. Maybe they'll show up at your Costco before long, so keep checking. They really are a very good brand, and at around $10.00 for six cans they are sure affordable.


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## taxlady (Jun 21, 2016)

I remember really liking sardines as a kid and the bones didn't bother me. I have occasionally tried them as an adult and have yet to find a brand I like. My mum used to swear by sardines from Portugal.


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## CharlieD (Jun 22, 2016)

Kayelle said:


> Sorry to hear that Charlie. They were giving out free samples when I bought them so I suspect they are a new item. Maybe they'll show up at your Costco before long, so keep checking. They really are a very good brand, and at around $10.00 for six cans they are sure affordable.




They did have a different brand of Sardines that I have bought before. Can't remember the name of it.Good thing it was in a regular store and bought only one. Very poor quality.


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## rodentraiser (Jun 22, 2016)

Addie said:


> I never understood why chain stores don't all carry the same products.



I used to work at 7-11 and for a long time, we could order our groceries to fit our shoppers. I worked in a _very _upscale town (think of a rich dot come city) and the people who shopped with us included those guys and all their Hispanic help who could barely speak English. So I used to ask everyone what they would like to see on our shelves and ordered as much as I could for them all.

Then Southland Corporation (7-11) decided that every store had to sell exactly the same thing. That meant we had to cut out a bunch of popular items and include others that sat on our shelves for months, and our sales and profits dropped like a rock. Only some stupid CEO who didn't know one end of his butt from another could make such a dumb decision.


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## LizStreithorst (Jun 22, 2016)

My supermarket still orders things I request if they are available to them.  I tried to order beef kidneys and beef tongue.  The meat manager looked on his list and he couldn't get them.  He did tell me what slaughter house to go to where I could get what I wanted.  They do very well considering the fact that at most places you can't get it if it ain't on the shelves.


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## Addie (Jun 22, 2016)

rodentraiser said:


> I used to work at 7-11 and for a long time, we could order our groceries to fit our shoppers. I worked in a _very _upscale town (think of a rich dot come city) and the people who shopped with us included those guys and all their Hispanic help who could barely speak English. So I used to ask everyone what they would like to see on our shelves and ordered as much as I could for them all.
> 
> Then Southland Corporation (7-11) decided that every store had to sell exactly the same thing. That meant we had to cut out a bunch of popular items and include others that sat on our shelves for months, and our sales and profits dropped like a rock. Only some stupid CEO who didn't know one end of his butt from another could make such a dumb decision.



Well, that explains the 7-11 up the street from me. They only carry mostly 7-11 brand items. The only thing I buy there are cigarettes. Only because they have the lowest prices. Everyone I have talked to complains about the store layout. It is built around the comfort of the help. Only one type of Lays chips are on the very bottom shelf while 7-11 chips in all the unpopular flavors are on top. I took a look at the date on a few of them. Months old. Bad Management.


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## rodentraiser (Jun 24, 2016)

Addie, most 7-11 products like candy, chips, bread, and sandwiches are brought in by independent contractors. They were assigned whatever shelf space we had available. Our manager did her best to keep those guys happy. They were responsible for taking the outdated items off the shelf and replacing them, although if we saw something outdated, we could take it off, put it behind the counter and give it to the vendor when he showed up. We took pride that our store was clean, safe for the customers, and didn't sell out of date food. 

The beer and soda were also brought in by independent contractors, and you should have heard them fight about their spaces. Beer Co. A wanted to put a new beer out, so he'd pull some of Beer Co. B's beer off and replace it with his own new stuff. Honestly, sometimes it was like being in charge of first graders. "Teacher, he took my shelf!"


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## Addie (Jun 24, 2016)

rodentraiser said:


> Addie, most 7-11 products like candy, chips, bread, and sandwiches are brought in by independent contractors. They were assigned whatever shelf space we had available. Our manager did her best to keep those guys happy. They were responsible for taking the outdated items off the shelf and replacing them, although if we saw something outdated, we could take it off, put it behind the counter and give it to the vendor when he showed up. We took pride that our store was clean, safe for the customers, and didn't sell out of date food.
> 
> The beer and soda were also brought in by independent contractors, and you should have heard them fight about their spaces. Beer Co. A wanted to put a new beer out, so he'd pull some of Beer Co. B's beer off and replace it with his own new stuff. Honestly, sometimes it was like being in charge of first graders. "Teacher, he took my shelf!"



Someone from your former store needs to go to the store up the street. For a month now they haven't been able to accept EBT cards. Me thinks, and so do lots of their customers, that they were allowing illegal purchases charged to the cards and got caught. A large fine and loss of income and customers. This store is just badly run.


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## rodentraiser (Jun 24, 2016)

It starts with the manager and trickles down to the employees. I was lucky - I had a great manager and some awesome coworkers. The other 7-11 in town also had a great owner and coworkers - I used to wait on that manager when I worked in the bank. Our whole town was sort of like that - we looked out for one another and we knew all the cops personally and I loved my regulars. People are amazed if I tell them I worked grave in a 7-11 for three years, and yes, I have lots of stories, but in that town and in that time, I could get away with it and not worry about too much trouble.


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## outRIAAge (Jun 25, 2016)

I like the sardine pizza recipe. I am all ears for good canned-sardine recipes, because they're about the greenest protein you can buy, and they happen to taste terrific. They are the lie to the idea that poor people can't eat very well indeed.

I highly recommend Pasta con le Sarde which is a knickerdropping combination of sardines with fennel. I first discovered the flavour combination in a big yellow can labelled only in Portuguese, and it haunted me for years until I found out what it was.

(There's even a good vegan variation titled - best as I can manage - Pasta con le Sarde a la Mer: Pasta with Sardines in the Sea.)

There is a respected pizza-style called Finocchio Flower Power where "finocchio" is Italian for fennel. The recipe uses fennel sausage and thin slices of fresh fennel. Next time I have my wood-burning oven cranked, I'll make one with that sardine pizza sauce, slivers of fennel, and skip the sausage.


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## Kayelle (Jun 25, 2016)

outRIAAge said:


> I like the sardine pizza recipe. I am all ears for good canned-sardine recipes, because they're about the greenest protein you can buy, and they happen to taste terrific. They are the lie to the idea that poor people can't eat very well indeed.
> 
> I highly recommend Pasta con le Sarde which is a knickerdropping combination of sardines with fennel. I first discovered the flavour combination in a big yellow can labelled only in Portuguese, and it haunted me for years until I found out what it was.
> 
> ...



Thanks for getting this totally derailed  thread back on the sardine track, with a very interesting post.


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## erehweslefox (Jun 26, 2016)

I myself haven't used fennel in a long time in a recipe, I think I'm in a rut.


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## Addie (Jun 26, 2016)

Instead if giving Spike a list of what I would like from the produce department, I really need to take the time to go to that side of the store and browse the produce department. I haven't used leeks in ages. And I like them, even if they are a lot of work sometimes.


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## erehweslefox (Jun 28, 2016)

outRIAAge said:


> I like the sardine pizza recipe.



I like the Portuguese ideas you have posted myself, the sardine pizza is mine, and well, you have to like sardines, one thing about that recipe, is it is scalable. You can easily add or detract from it. 

I've done that exact recipe up in Williamsburg Brooklyn on New Years day 2001, with Kale mixed with fresh spinich, very nice artisan riccota cheese, and anchovies (which I still think are sardines, but fancy like) for author hipster friends, heirloom tomatoes, and chillies, and all loved it.

Same thing a month later in Oklahoma, replace the riccota with cottege cheese, the spinach was frozen, the sardines from a can, and a can of Ro-Tell tomatoes. 

Same damn pizza. My Okie friends at least had yeast already for the crust. 

I'll stand by that recipe whether you make it with good or awful ingredients. Salty fish belongs on pizza, some will vehemently argue against this. They are wrong.


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## outRIAAge (Jun 28, 2016)

It's hard to find fresh sardines, and you have to have tolerance for bones, but I sometimes find them here in Seattle for $2/lb, simply silly pricing. I totally concur with your salty fish theorem. It's not well-known that sardines are just "small, oily fish," not a species. It's rare to find the larger types, like pilchards, in the US.

I used to do fisheries research on the Hudson River, and (little-known fact) anchovies are native to the tidal (lower 100 miles) section of the river. Most species of fish we hauled up survived just fine, even after measuring and tagging, but anchovies inevitably died. I likely killed a million of them, sadly. Some of the crew used them for garden mulch; I cooked with them (very mild and delicate when fresh) and made disastrous attempts at salt-curing.

Erehweslefox's pizza ideas are great, but what are people doing, buying ricotta? It only takes 15 minutes to get a gallon of whole milk to the hung-up-dripping-in-panty-hose stage of ricotta-making. Better than anything you can buy.

If you ever find white anchovies, pay whatever it takes (a lot!) to get them. They're a different world. Eat them right out of the jar. Bet you can't have just one.


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## outRIAAge (Jun 28, 2016)

*Stargazy Pie*

*Stargazy Pie​*






This surely is the most IN U FACE sardine recipe imaginable. The combination of oily fish and hard-boiled eggs is interesting. Fresh fish are mandatory, obviously, and you have to be a hardcore fish-eater, because they're going to be staring at you as you eat them. It's a centuries-old Cornish recipe, and a complete giggle to serve. Any oily fish like small mackerel or bluefish also work fine.

There's a reason for the pie geometry: the heads get roasted and their flavoursome juices and oils drain down into the pie (I DID mention "hardcore fish-eater" 

Here's the Saveur recipe, which is fine. Coleman's mustard (Keen's if you're in Canada) is mandatory. Crème fraîche is overkill, given all the flavours; plain yogurt or sour cream work fine. As you can imagine, getting the crust on while poking the heads through is an utter pain, so maybe get some help.


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## erehweslefox (Jun 28, 2016)

outRIAAge said:


> *Stargazy Pie​*
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Oh, I MUST make this, it would freak my wife the Heck OUT! I've already been threatening her with Eel pie from my medieval cookbook.... I am just picturing the expression on her face here. I am Cornish and Welsh, why have I not heard of this?

TBS


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## outRIAAge (Jun 29, 2016)

erehweslefox said:


> I am Cornish and Welsh, why have I not heard of this?TBS



Eeee, I can answer up that 'un, lad! I was writing from old memory, and thee got me worried, so I checked. Here's  Wikipedia on the topic. but I'll quote the relevant part: 

The dish is traditionally held to have originated from the village of Mousehole in Cornwall and is traditionally eaten during the festival of Tom Bawcock's Eve to celebrate his heroic catch during a very stormy winter. According to the modern festival, which is combined with the Mousehole village illuminations, the entire catch was baked into a huge stargazy pie, encompassing seven types of fish and saving the village from starvation. The story of Bawcock was popularised by Antonia Barber's children's book The Mousehole Cat, which featured the star-gazy pie. In 2007 contestant Mark Hix won the BBC's Great British Menu with a variant of the dish.​
(In other words, the pie version of the loaves and fishes miracle.)


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## erehweslefox (Jul 2, 2016)

Well by Lugh the Long-Armed and the Morrigan Herself herself this is gonna get made at some point. 

Might not get seven types of fish... but I can give it a go.

Tom Bawcock is gonna have nothing on me.

TBS


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## erehweslefox (Jul 2, 2016)

So after a careful and thoughtful explanation of the idea of Stargazy pie, and a retelling of the Thomas Bawcock myth, my wife seems skeptical of Stargazer pie. I even tried a dramatic reading of the Bawcock story, and how it relates to Mousehome (one of the most charmingly named towns I have ever seen) to no avail.

My only seeming chance of having Stargazy pie is to serve it up on 12/23, Tom Bawcock's day, and say it is a traditional dish. That is the traditional day to serve Stargazy pie, correct?

This has a degree of difficulty, as Rachel has already seen this post, but mainly as I have no recipe for it.

By my count we have 173 days to work on a recipe for this, 12/23 I will post a Stargazy pie.

Cheers,

TBS


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## CraigC (Jul 2, 2016)

Right. I tend to steer away from things that the family doesn't want to eat. If Karen is away visiting, I might make stuff for myself, mostly German fare. I've never understood why some folks want to push food on others that won't be welcomed.


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## Addie (Jul 2, 2016)

CraigC said:


> Right. I tend to steer away from things that the family doesn't want to eat. If Karen is away visiting, I might make stuff for myself, mostly German fare. I've never understood *why some folks want to push food on others that won't be welcomed*.



 "Oh come on. Just take a small taste. How do you know you don't like it if you never had it?" Words said around the world.


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## outRIAAge (Jul 3, 2016)

erehweslefox said:


> This has a degree of difficulty, as Rachel has already seen this post, but mainly as I have no recipe for it.



(That's weird: I already posted this response, but there's no sign of it)

I gave a link to the Saveur recipe in the original post, with a couple of tips.

Here's the Saveur Recipe, again


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## Addie (Jul 3, 2016)

outRIAAge said:


> (That's weird: I already posted this response, but there's no sign of it)
> 
> I gave a link to the Saveur recipe in the original post, with a couple of tips.
> 
> Here's the Saveur Recipe, again



Go to post #39 on page one. It has not been removed.


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## outRIAAge (Jul 3, 2016)

*Stargazy Pie Simplification*​
I just came up with a way to make this a much easier, approachable, and less-hardcore recipe. Make the pie with mackerel or bluefish fillets (or even canned sardines, in a pinch), seal the crust on, then cut holes in it and stick in some fish-heads: your fishmonger will likely have a selection for free. If you make it with seven different kinds, you'll be welcomed in Mousehole by Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

The pie would be a ringer for the real thing, without all the fuss and bones.


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## medtran49 (Jul 3, 2016)

Addie said:


> "Oh come on. Just take a small taste. How do you know you don't like it if you never had it?" Words said around the world.


 
Well, we'll say that too once or twice, but won't push it any more.  If somebody does try and doesn't like it, they'll never be offered it again or expected to eat any more of it than the taste.  I'd imagine most households are like us.  There are things Craig really likes that I don't and vice versa, but we'll both indulge the other's favorites from time to time, or try to make it when the other isn't home, or order it when out at a restaurant.  Case in point, he has a birthday coming up soon and he's alredy said he wants sauerbraten, which is MOST definitely NOT my favorite.  I'll eat it and even make it for his birthday meal, but he's in charge of any leftovers!  And I'm not much for his stuffed potato dumplings either so I'll make spaetzle for me.


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## Addie (Jul 3, 2016)

I never made my kids eat food they hated. I always felt, if you didn't do it to any adults you knew, why would you do it to your own kids? Folks would tell me that they needed the nutrition. They got plenty of nutrition in other foods. If they asked for a taste, fine. They got a small taste and if they didn't like it, it was never placed on their plate. Grant you, some nights I ended up cooking two meals. One for me and my husband (who would eat anything!) and one for the kids. But that didn't happen too often. I tried to make meals that everyone liked. It sure cut down on yelling during mealtime.


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## Cooking Goddess (Jul 3, 2016)

Tastes change over a lifetime. I never thought there is anything wrong in *asking* someone to try something they say they "don't like", even if they have tried it in the past. I suppose a lot depends on whether you ask politely or demand that they "go ahead and try it already, dang it"!

Our nieces grew up with extremely limited palates. If they even made a face about the food set on the table, their dad was bouncing up and fixing a hot dog for them. Our older niece is still a fussy eater at age 39. Her sister, 22 months younger, married a wonderfully adventurous guy who is Taiwanese by birth but has been a U. S. citizen since he was in his mid-teens. He has been so successful with getting Niece #2 to try different foods that she wanders the Taiwanese Night Market with her hubby and their almost-13-year-old daughter, nibbling at every type of food she's never had before. For someone who wouldn't even touch fish or seafood, our niece has become a true sushi lover, too?

Tastes change. Why not try something more than once rather than end up missing out on something you would have loved in the end.

I never made a second meal for our kids. If I was planning to make something I knew neither of them liked, I'd just make enough of whatever we had the previous two meals. When dinner rolled around, the kid who didn't like that night's meal got a reheat of the previous meal. I've been doing "planned leftovers" all of my married life!


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## outRIAAge (Jul 3, 2016)

Limited palates, grrrr! I spent two years recently cooking for a brother-in-law who knew what he liked (beef, mash, canned green beans) and knew what he didn't like (everything else). I finally won him over with my meatballs (key extra: 1/4 tsp gelatin per pound of meat). (I'll describe the bloody-Band-Aid-in-the-meatball incident another time, perhaps  

With that win in the bank, next up was lamb, which he "didn't like." I did the usual Tuscan leg-thing stuffed with garlic/rosemary. When that thing hits the oven it is not aromatherapy; it is aromaweaponry: he ate 2 1/2 lb in one sitting. So I tried him with Japanese cuisine, specifically "Potato Korokke" (Japanese for Potato Croquette). He wanted nothing to do with "Jap-food" until I explained it was deep-fried ground beef with mash: I ate one; he ate four. (If I'd mentioned the tofu it also contained: he might have shot me 

He up and died right in front of us, before I could wean him off his foam-plastic bowls of crap-with-boiling-water-n-FlavoPak, but take heart: change is possible.

But I digress, and would rather get back to sardines.


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## Andy M. (Jul 3, 2016)

My grandson is a very fussy eater.  It's like pulling teeth to just get him to taste a new food.  

One time I had made creme brûlée and showed him how I browned the sugar with a propane torch. "Cool, Grampy!".  He refused to taste it.  I cajoled him to take a little bit on the tip of a spoon with the requirement that he had to actually swallow it.  He did and "hated it".  Two minutes later he was back for another spoonful.  Then another, and another.  

Funny how that works.


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## CharlieD (Jul 3, 2016)

Addie said:


> I never made my kids eat food they hated. I always felt, if you didn't do it to any adults you knew, why would you do it to your own kids? Folks would tell me that they needed the nutrition. They got plenty of nutrition in other foods. If they asked for a taste, fine. They got a small taste and if they didn't like it, it was never placed on their plate. Grant you, some nights I ended up cooking two meals. One for me and my husband (who would eat anything!) and one for the kids. But that didn't happen too often. I tried to make meals that everyone liked. It sure cut down on yelling during mealtime.




Thank you. I did the same, still doing. It is so much easier to make something special for a kid or two, rather than arguing with them, trying to force them eat something they do not like. I like cooking and hones don't mind making something special. Of course that is not what I tell them. I complain that it's not a restaurant and they don't get to order. Blah, blah, blah.....
I do try to clothes that they should eat what they are served.  But I guess I am not very successful. Of there is always something everyone likes. I try to stick to that menu. 


Sent from my iPhone using Discuss Cooking


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## Kayelle (Jul 3, 2016)

Maybe I have a short memory but I don't remember my kids ever complaining about what they were served for dinner. I doubt that I was that good of a cook and they were not the perfect kids of all time, but maybe they just understood "what you see is what you get". Interesting to ponder.


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## Dawgluver (Jul 3, 2016)

Both my parents had very short fuses, and mealtime was usually difficult and stressful.  There is no way I would ever make a child eat something he or she didn't want to.

Sure wish I loved sardines the way I loved them back when I was 8!


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## GotGarlic (Jul 3, 2016)

My parents expected us to at least try whatever was served. If we really didn't like it, we could make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.


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## Cooking Goddess (Jul 4, 2016)

I agree, *GG*. There is a huge difference between "making someone eat something they do not like" and asking them to "try" and then "try again" at a later date a food they say they don't like. Our kids didn't have to go the PB&J route, though, since it seems I've been making leftovers all of my life.


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## taxlady (Jul 4, 2016)

A friend of mine used to ask the kid, "Try this, just a little taste, to see if you are old enough to like it yet."


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## Addie (Jul 4, 2016)

It just seemed that one kid would "hate" one food that went with the meal. Nothing was said, and it stayed off that kid's plate. But we had a game. Everyone would rave about how good that hated food was. "Can I have a small bite?" Nah, you wouldn't like it and you know how I feel about wasting food. By the end of the meal, there was a couple of spoonfull's on their plate. And it usually got eaten. It was this method that I was able to get my oldest daughter to try spinach. Today she would rather have spinach lasagna, than the typical Italian one.


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## erehweslefox (Jul 6, 2016)

I do all the cooking and grocery shopping in our household, Beloved Rachel just doesn't like to do it. We have a gentlewoman's agreement that this means she occasionally has to eat weird stuff if I, for instance, get my hands on a medieval cookbook, or if something shiny is on sale at the farmers market.  I try not to push it too far, and will apologize by making her favorites for the next few days. Now some of the experiments have become favorites....

She remains highly skeptical about stargazer pie. Same reaction to eel pie, the girl, god bless her, just does not believe fish and pie are two concepts that should exist in the same conceptual space.

*edited, this is not always productive, I also have an agreement with her that I am NOT allowed to go down to the Chinese Market in Philly with money and unsupervised after the "pound of jellyfish" incident, in my defense, it was on sale.*


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## Cal (Jul 6, 2016)

*Yummy sarn's*

I love them mashed with a little vinegar and pepper spread on hot toast and put under the grill 
till warm. Yummy.


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