With a crunchy outside and a creamy inside, these canned sardine croquettes are my new summer craving. I serve them with a lemony yogurt dip, for a perfect mix of salty, tangy and smooth flavours.
Canned sardines are an institution in Brittany, France. The sardine fishing and canning is, and has always been, a flagship industry of towns along the Atlantic coast, where most canneries remain today. Most sardines are “preparées a l’ancienne” – which means made the old-fashion way. The sardines are first fried, then dried and finally canned, either in salted water, oil or with a mix of spices and pickled vegetables.
In most other countries, including Canada and the US, they are usually just canned and steamed afterwards (in the can), and left plain. Skipping the frying and drying process make the sardines a tiny less fragrant, but also more versatile and prone to be used for recipes, such as these one.
These canned sardine croquettes are a nice twist on the classic “acra de morue” – the traditional cod fritters from the French Antilles. Packed with flavor and good fats, the sardines are blended with white beans (instead of the usual potato), which make then even creamier inside.
They are meant to be served piping hot, with a simple lemon-coriander yogurt dip – so bright, fragrant and so smooth at the same time.
For the yogurt dip, people in France would use what we call “fromage blanc”. Fromage blanc is a thick, creamy, protein-packed version of a yogurt, half way between cottage cheese, cream cheese and yogurt. It is usually consumed for dessert and is super popular: you will likely find fromage blanc in every French household’s fridge.
And the French often use fromage blanc as a replacement for mayonnaise or cream-based dips. There is no real equivalent of fromage blanc in Canada or in the US, but I think that Greek yogurt is the most similar ingredient to use here. Swirled with lemon juice and herbs, it has the perfect texture for a dip, but stays satisfyingly creamy.
I hope you enjoy these Canned sardine croquettes salad with yogurt dip as much I do, Bon appétit!
6 comments
Hello Audrey, Can these croquettes be baked instead of frying? Thanks, D. Fiorillo
Hello. I have never tried to bake these croquettes, but I think it could work. Make sure they are well coated with breadcrumbs and you might want to brush some EVOO on them before you bake them – to ensure they still turn nice and crispy on the outside.
Wow! These were so yummy. I thoroughly enjoyed them and will make them again for sure.
Thanks heaps Audrey!
Thank you for your feedback!
I enjoyed these! Tasty, healthy and so easy. I think next time I will make double the amount of patties so there is more crust to filling ratio. But I am sure there will be a next time 🙂
Amazing, thank you!