Spinach and Sardine Sandwich

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated Aug. 9, 2024

Spinach and Sardine Sandwich
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
About 10 minutes
Rating
5(419)
Comments
Read comments

Whenever I fly, I like to go armed with lunch, as the food in airports tends to be both appalling and expensive. Lately I’ve hitting the road with sandwiches that combine produce with canned fish, like sardines, herring, trout or smoked salmon — all of them high in omega-3 fatty acids, packed with protein and delicious. In some of this week’s sandwiches, I used small whole-wheat English muffins that were lightly toasted. The muffins won’t fall apart, even with a juicy filling like Greek salad, and I like the size. This is inspired by the classic Mediterranean combination of sardines and spinach. I like to use lightly smoked sardines in olive oil for it.

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Ingredients

Yield:One serving

    For the Spinach and Sardine Sandwich

    • 2teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1small garlic clove, minced
    • 2ounces baby spinach 2 cups tightly packed, rinsed
    • Salt
    • freshly ground pepper
    • 1small (3½-inch) whole-wheat English muffin, lightly toasted
    • Dijon mustard (optional)
    • 2canned sardines, preferably lightly smoked in olive oil about 2 ounces, filleted
    • 1small tomato, sliced optional
    • Lemon juice
    • About 1 teaspoon mayonnaise
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)

335 calories; 17 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 621 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. For the Spinach and Sardine Sandwich

    1. Step 1

      Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach. Turn up the heat, and wilt the spinach in the water left on the leaves after washing. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Drain and press out excess water.

    2. Step 2

      Lightly toast the English muffin. Spread a little mustard if desired over the bottom half and top with the spinach. Lay the sardine fillets over the spinach, and douse with a little lemon juice. If you have a nice ripe in season tomato, lay over the sardines. Spread the top half of the English muffin with mayonnaise, and top the sandwich. Press down and cut in half, or wrap and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: You can wrap this tightly and keep it in the refrigerator for a day. It’ll be fine for a few hours if you take it on an airplane.

Ratings

5 out of 5
419 user ratings
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Comments

Jules

I love sardines, but even I would not want to sit in a cramped crowded cabin next to someone who is eating this sandwich. I find it hilarious that the Tip encourages us to be that person! It would incite riots amongst some of those I've shared a flight with.

Marta

I think the idea is that one eats the sandwich at the airport before boarding the plane, instead of eating at an airport restaurant.

Annie V

Simple and better than expected! The squeeze of lemon (or lime) puts it over the top. Particularly good on NYT's homemade whole wheat English muffins.

ellery

One of my absolute favorites, kills every time with every modification. Most recently, I didn’t have tomatoes on hand (it’s the dead of winter, and I’m no fool for an out of season tomato)— used Nuri sardines in tomato sauce, poured the entire can contents on the sandwich. It nearly brought me to tears. I love this sandwich.

Nick

Absolutely delicious. The optional bits(tomato and mustard) take it to the next level. I added a little goat cheese as well which was a welcome addition.

Harvey

Like you are in Europe good. Super!

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