5 Minute Mediterranean Salad with Sardines and Chickpeas
This bright and fresh chickpea-sardine salad is complemented with tomatoes, cucumber and olives offering a lot of flavor plus a good dose of omega-3 fatty acids.
For this honestly scrumptious recipe, I combined canned sardines, chickpeas and fresh vegetables including tomatoes and cucumbers. In traditional Greek cuisine it is common to combine small fish with beans, a great combination of textures and flavors plus what a nutritional powerhouse! It truly is a feel-good recipe rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Those good fats omega-3 fatty acids are so important to our health, our appearance and our mood. We know that if we are not getting enough omega-3’s our skin can become dry, we may be accumulating more fat around our waist and it doesn’t help our mood either. I know many of us have trouble getting that good fish fat in our diet regularly, so I’ll be including easy recipes that can help out. And you can also check out this article for moure sources: Get More Fish in Your Diet. It’s Easy
How to Choose the Best Canned Sardines
In my opinion the humble sardine is one of the best fish one can have. I’ve read in numerous places that you either love them or hate them, but I believe it’s all about how you serve them. Fresh grilled sardines are wonderful dressed with some olive oil and lemon. Canned sardines are also great as long as you know how prepare them.
Sardines have two characteristics that set them apart: First they are fatty fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids and second, they are very low in mercury.
It should be noted that the process of canning does not destroy omega-3 fatty acids.
When buying canned sardines, I buy the ones canned in olive oil, the olive oil seals in the flavor making them tastier. You also want to use some of the olive oil in the can as some of the omega-3 can migrate in the olive oil they are canned in. That’s another reason you want sardines canned in olive oil as you will be using that oil in your salad. Therefore, you don’t want to buy them canned in vegetable and seed oils that provide no benefits.
You also want to use sardines with the skin and bones as they contain much more calcium (almost 4 times more). Don’t worry you won’t notice the bones as they are soft.
For this recipe I used 3 ounces (about 100 g) which provided me with 100% of my daily requirements in omega-3 fatty acids and over 50% of my calcium requirements.
5 Minute Mediterranean Salad with Sardines and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1 small cucumber peeled and chopped in cubes
- ½ small onion finely chopped
- ½ cup boiled chickpeas canned or from dry
- 3 Kalamata olives pitted and sliced
- 2 teaspoons capers
- 3 ounce (100 g) canned sardines in olive oil do not drain
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1-2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
- 1 ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix the first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Add the sardines carefully, do not crush them or smash them. Add the lemon juice and gently toss, some sardines will break in smaller pieces.
- Sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons olive oil (as needed depending on how much you used from the canned sardines).
- Finish with some fresh ground pepper before serving.
PIN IT AND SAVE FOR LATER!
Even w/o the tomatoes & cukes (need to make a grocery run), this was good! Nutrient rich, home-made fast food w/ staples you always have on hand! Thank you!
Delicious!About how much calories do you think is in it.
This was delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Can’t wait to try these beautiful recipes.
Perhaps holuomi could replace sardines?
Yes, definitely! But you won’t get the omega-3 fatty acids
Make this salad often in the warmer summer months. I’ve been substituting tuna packed in marinated sun-dried tomato oil and use all that oil to dress the salad…simply delicious!!!
Sounds delicious!
This salad is delicious and makes a very filling lunch with a barley rusk and a small piece of feta. Thanks so much Elena.
Such a gorgeous salad! The flavors are incredible!
I made this today and must say it was delicious!
The chickpeas makes it very filling so I only added a very small amount. This is also perfect for those having to cut down on red meat and is very filling even without the fish. A very versatile recipe and it has been added to my favourite quick meal go-to recipes.
Hi Beverly, Hope you are enjoying the cookbook. No this recipe is not the book.
Thanks Elena – I’m always on the lookout for sardine recipes, and this sounds lovely and light – perfect for the weather here in Mauritius – will make it as soon as I get my hands on some tomatoes – we’re on strict lockdown and are only allowed out twice a week on set shopping days, so I’ll have to wait till Tuesday!
I am allergic to sardines. What can I use in place of sardines
You could omit them. You can either have it without or add another type of fish.
Hi Sylvia ! I have made this with canned mackeral in olive oil – in my opinion, it is just as good and, I believe, just as nutritious. Elena, would you agree ?
Yes Loralee, thanks for the tip!
Made this for my supper. Comes together quickly and tastes like a warm spring day – light and delicious.
Thank you Gail! Wonderful description!
Just made this for my lunch. Delish! Thanks so much for the amazing recipes.
You are welcome Tracy! Happy you enjoyed it!
What does boiled chick peas mean? Canned chick peas need to be boiled? For how long?
If they are dry you need to boil them, if they are canned no need to. Dry chickpeas need to be soaked overnight and then boiled for about 45 minutes.