Easy Canned Sardines Fritters

Published Oct 6, 2024 By Elle Ann

Image credit: Spain on a Fork via YouTube

Whenever I need to make food on a budget or I simply don’t have the time and energy to cook, my go-to dish is crispy fritters made out of canned sardines! It’s always delicious and never fails to impress the whole family, it’s so good and simple to make that you won’t fail even if it’s your first time trying it.

You can also modify the ingredients to your preference and use whatever you have available in your kitchen, leftover works, too. If you want to learn how to do it now, check out this video tutorial by Spain on a Fork on YouTube, and try it today to see for yourself!

Ingredients for Canned Sardines Fritters:

Sardine Fritters

½ cup of all-purpose flour
1 large egg
120ml or ½ cup of sparkling water
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley
1 lemon
1 small (4 oz) can of sardines in olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Mayo Aioli

2 cloves of garlic
¼ tsp of saffron threads
½ cup of low-fat mayonnaise
1 tsp of lemon juice
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Additional

60ml or ¼ cups of extra virgin olive oil, for frying
Fresh parsley, for garnish

How to Make Canned Sardines Fritters:

Ingredients for Canned Sardines Fritters — Image credit: Spain on a Fork via YouTube

Step 1

Place the flour in a large bowl, then make a well in the middle, crack the egg, and whisk until well beaten. Pour in the sparkling water, then whisk everything together until smooth batter, and add in the shallot, garlic, and parsley. Season them with salt and pepper to taste, then grate over half a lemon, and mix everything until well combined. Drain the canned sardines, then break them apart, and add them into the batter.

Step 2

Give them a good mix until evenly distributed, then let it sit for a few minutes, while waiting, preheat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is very hot, start dropping spoonfuls of the batter making sure to space them apart evenly, then cook them in batches, and fry them for about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Step 3

Take the cook fritters out of the oil, then place them on a plate lined with paper towels, and continue to fry the rest of the batter. Using a mortar and pestle, pound together the garlic, saffron, and sea salt until paste-like texture, then add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and olive oil, and season it with sea salt and black pepper. Keep mixing until creamy, then serve on the side of the freshly cooked fritters, and enjoy!