Weeknight Dinners
Lemon Garlicky High Protein Sardines
Bright, punchy and deeply savoury. A very fast rice bowl built from tinned sardines, lemon, garlic and herbs for low-effort weekday dinners.
Serves
2
Prep
10 mins
Cook
10 mins
Ingredients
Sardines & dressing
• 2 cans sardines
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• A bunch of dill and parsley, finely chopped
• Zest of 1/2 a lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Sea salt
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
To serve
• Steaming hot rice
• Cucumber
• Kimchi
• A boiled egg, optional
Method
1. In a small bowl, mix the garlic, herbs, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and chilli flakes, then stir in the olive oil to make a loose dressing.
2. Heat a pan over a medium heat and add the sardines. Cook until heated through and lightly crisp on the outside, turning gently so they keep their shape.
3. Spoon hot rice into bowls. Add the sardines and any cucumber, kimchi or boiled egg you like alongside.
4. Generously spoon over the lemon garlic dressing and serve straight away while everything is still warm and glossy.
Good For You Note
Sardines are one of the easiest ways to get protein plus DHA and EPA omega-3 fats, which support brain, eye and heart health. Lemon and herbs lift the richness, and serving them with rice and crunchy vegetables makes the bowl feel balanced as well as fast.