I know. Sardines. Just the word gets a grimace from the audience. But I swear, this recipe just might get put into your lunch rotation. It’s that good.

First, the Culinary Nutrition Part:

Sardines are one of the most underrated wonder foods that really do deserve more notoriety. Not only are they extremely high in calcium (33 percent of your daily calcium in 3 ounces) but they give you almost half of your daily vitamin D (a vitamin that is found in very few foods) and amazing amounts of vitamin B12, an excellent source of omega-3 fats (those good for you fats) and they are also an excellent source of protein.

Sardines also happen to be one of the safest fish you can eat as far as mercury content.

All these amazing nutrients make sardines an excellent choice for heart health and bone health.

Sardines are not typically sold fresh and buying them canned is perfectly safe and fine, not to mention convenient. When buying, be sure that they are packed in either olive oil or water. Less desirable options would be soybean oil, which is highly processed.

Because sardines are so fatty, they lend themselves nicely to lemony, citrusy ingredients. In this recipe I also added briny capers to balance the high fat content.

Just chop those babies up and you you won’t recognize them!

Knowing that sardines are good for you should be reason enough to dial them into your diet once or twice a week. And I promise, they might just end up being a surprise favorite.

Here is my recipe below. Let me know if you end up trying it and loving it too!

Lemony Sardine and Arugula Salad

Makes 1 salad

Ingredients

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ lemon,juiced
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon capers, rinsed
1 stalk celery, diced
6 baby tomatoes, sliced
1 4-ounce can olive oil-packed sardines (or water packed)
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch arugula

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine lemon zest and juice, mustard, capers and celery.

2. Gently fold in the sardines and season with salt and pepper. Gently chop the sardines.

3. Place the arugula into a bowl and top with the sardine mixture. Toss and serve.

Check out my collection of other healthy recipes that combine healthy ingredients with easy to make steps.