As we wrap up wrap up Heart Health Month, let’s wrap up a tasty meal that our hearts will thank us for: fish tacos! We hear a lot about Omega-3 fatty acids and their benefits on heart health, but salmon can be expensive, and many supplements have an unpleasant aftertaste. It’s time to embrace the sardines! These little fish are convenient, are no fishier than canned tuna and they’re shelf stable. Best of all, for a 3-ounce serving, you get about 1.3 to 2 grams of Omega-3s for as little as $0.63, compared to salmon that provides roughly the same for about $3.37 for the same serving. In addition to that, if you get bone-in sardines, you have the added benefit of an excellent source of calcium and collagen, helping to maintain the health of your bones, joints, skin, tendons and more. Read more on the health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids. — Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN, community nutrition educator, Tevis Center for Wellness
Ingredients:
Tacos:
- 6 soft corn tortilla
- 1 cup of red cabbage slaw
- 2/3 cup avocado lime sauce
- 2 cans of your favorite sardines (try bone-in, canned in olive oil)
- ¼ cup queso fresco
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Crispy Sardines:
- 2 cans sardines
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup whole wheat flour, divided in half
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ tsp red chili flakes
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Black pepper to taste
Red Cabbage Slaw:
- ¼ medium-large red cabbage, thinly sliced
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cilantro, chopped
- ½ Tablespoon lime zest (about ½ a lime)
- 1-3 Tablespoons lime juice ( about 1-2 limes)
- ½ Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼-½ jalapeño, finely chopped (optional)
Avocado Lime Sauce:
- ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 avocado
- 1 lime, juiced
For the Red Cabbage Slaw:
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Feel free to add additional shredded veggies, such as carrots or radishes, for more nutrition! A food processor makes slicing/shredding easier. Refrigerate until ready for taco assembly.
For the Avocado Lime Sauce:
Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor. Add water (a little at a time) to make a consistency you can drizzle. Refrigerate until ready for taco assembly.
To make Crispy Sardines:
Combine ¼ cup of whole wheat flour with garlic powder, red chili flakes, oregano, salt and a few grinds of black pepper into a shallow bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together egg, water and ¼ cup whole wheat flour. Place a large pan on your stovetop and set to low heat. Once pan is hot, pour in olive oil from both cans of sardines. Let oil heat up. Carefully dip one sardine at a time into wet mixture. Use a fork to assist with this. Remove sardine from wet mixture and add to bowl of flour and spices. Coat each side with flour. Once oil is hot, carefully add in your battered sardines. Flip over after 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove sardines from oil and place on a dish lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Tip: You can also air fry these to reduce excess oil.
To assemble Tacos:
Prepare tortillas by wrapping them in a damp paper towel, placing them in a closed microwave-safe container, and microwaving for 30-60 seconds. This will make the tortilla soft and prevent crumbling.
Assemble your tacos by spreading out 1-2 tablespoons of the cilantro lime sauce on the tortilla. Place some slaw in the middle of the taco, followed by some red cabbage slaw, 2-3 crispy sardines, and top with queso fresco and chopped cilantro. Makes 3 servings.
Nutrition Facts:
Serving size: 2 tacos
Calories: 264; Fat: 14.8g; Sat Fat: 3.1g; Carbs: 14g; Fiber: 4.2g; Protein: 20.9g; Sodium: 422.7mg
Recipe adapted from: Sardine Tacos | Wild Planet Foods recipe, Cilantro Lime Mexican Slaw with Cilantro and Lime | Feasting At Home, Crispy and Easy to Make Fried Sardines Recipe – The Bonnie Fig
