Sardine
Sardina pilchardus · Fish
Top 10 pairings
A small, oily, intensely savoury fish with a silver belly, blue-green back and soft, fine-boned flesh rich in omega-3s. Grilled whole over coals around the Mediterranean, it's also packed in oil into the famous tin.
Picking a good onedrag
Just landed, bright-eyed and firmOff: sunken, limp, sour
Iced and firmBuy itBuy it on ice and chill it at once. Histamine can form with no off smell; cooking or freezing won't remove it.
EyesConvex, barely sunken, a faint haze
GillsPaler at the edges, clear slime
Press the fleshFirm, springs back when pressed
Smell at the gillsNeutral, faint seaweed or nothing