Portuguese Sardines on Wholegrain Toast with Blistered Tomato
Mashed canned sardines with lemon and olive oil piled on rye-oat toast under warm garlicky tomato.
Best for A fast, omega-3-rich savory breakfast that keeps you full on protein and wholegrain fiber
This is a Portuguese fisherman's breakfast dressed for a weekday: silky canned sardines mashed with olive oil, lemon and a little smoked paprika, spooned over dark wholegrain toast and crowned with tomato that's been blistered in the pan until sweet and jammy. It leans on the humble tinned sardine the way coastal Portugal actually eats it, so you get a serious hit of omega-3 and protein before you've even had coffee. Do not skip the drizzle of raw olive oil at the end — it ties the oily fish to the acidic tomato and makes the whole thing taste like the Algarve.
Ingredients
- 240 g canned sardines in olive oil , drained, oil reserved; about 2 cans
- 4 wholegrain rye or seeded sourdough bread , thick slices
- 200 g cherry tomatoes , halved
- 1 garlic cloves , 1 clove, halved, plus 1 clove finely grated
- 1 lemon , half juiced, half in wedges to serve
- 30 ml olive oil , plus more to drizzle
- 2 g smoked paprika
- 10 g flat-leaf parsley , chopped
- 1 g red pepper flakes (optional – can be omitted)
- 1 g fine sea salt , to taste
Instructions
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1
Warm half the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the halved cherry tomatoes cut-side down with a pinch of salt and let them blister undisturbed until the skins char and the flesh collapses into a loose jam, then stir in the grated garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds more. Slide off the heat.
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2
Meanwhile, toast the bread until deeply golden and crisp. While it's hot, rub one side of each slice with the cut face of the halved garlic clove so it perfumes the crumb.
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3
In a bowl, flake the drained sardines and mash with a fork with the smoked paprika, lemon juice, the remaining olive oil and a good grind of black pepper. Keep it a little chunky so you still get pieces of fish, not a paste.
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4
Pile the sardine mash onto the garlic-rubbed toast and spoon the warm blistered tomatoes and their juices over the top. Finish with chopped parsley, flaky salt, a generous drizzle of raw olive oil and a squeeze from a lemon wedge. Eat immediately while the tomatoes are still warm against the cool fish.