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Edible San Luis Obispo

Herb Marinated Spicy Sardines Toast

I appreciate good ­quality tinned fish most for their ability to deliver a tasty, protein-packed meal in very little time, and this recipe is a nice way to dress them up. I call for sardines packed in water since we’re creating our own olive ­oil sauce here, but use your favorite kind. The dish can be made a few hours ahead and is best served at room temperature.
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Arrange sardine fillets skin side down in a large shallow bowl or plate, in a single layer or slightly overlapping.

  • In small nonstick skillet, combine oil, garlic, and shallot over medium-¬low heat. Once mixture starts to sizzle, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, until mixture is fragrant and shallot is just softened, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and add lemon juice, serrano chile pepper, red pepper flakes, and half of tarragon. Season with salt and black pepper. Mix well. Pour mixture evenly over sardines.

  • Arrange sardines over toast, drizzling some spicy oil on top. Garnish with remaining tarragon.

  • *From Gather Around My Table: Simple, Flavorful Recipes from My Global Pantry. © 2026 by Kay Chun. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.