Truly, the best tinned fish sandwich you will ever eat.
Something we always have stocked in my pantry is tin fish. Not only are things like canned tuna, canned sardines, mackerel and anchovies delicious, but they are all really great sources of protein and very reasonably priced. We have tinned fish at least twice a week wether it be on salads or big sandwiches!
This tinned fish sandwich is so incredibly easy to whip up and put together, plus insanely delicious. Think canned tuna fish salad, but way more elevated with a few simple ingredients and steps. It is briny from the salty fish, sweet from beautiful plump raisins, and tart from a light dressing.
The toasted bread is slathered in an easy dijonnaise, which is just equal parts mayo and dijon mustard, then topped with the tinned fish salad. Next we make an easy arugula and watermelon radish salad with a dash of olive oil and sprinkle of salt to finish it off!
Most are familiar with canned tuna, but canned sardines?! How do I use them? Don't they have tiny bones? Let's talk about the best way to prepare them.

HOW TO PREPARE CANNED SARDINES?
Canned sardines are honestly my favorite of the tinned fish. They are cheap, a great source of protein and I love to add them to my main veggie dishes.
If you are unfamiliar with sardines, they have bones right in the middle, like their spine. To remove the bones, gently pull open the sardine in half vertically and remove the bones. Typically they come out in one piece no problem, but if they don't there is no need to worry because they are easy to spot!
I suppose you could cook these bad boys up, but no need for all of that. The easiest way to prepare canned sardines is to eat them as you would any fish, except this time straight from the can. Squeeze lemon juice and chopped parsley and to help cut the fishy flavor if it's too strong. Grab a piece of crusty bread and top it with your sardines, lemon juice and parsley. Finely chopped onions is another fantastic thing to add!
Now, that's the "eat them straight out of the can" type of way, but follow along from this incredible tinned fish sandwich that uses both sardines and tuna, because one tinned fish is never enough for this girl
HOW TO MAKE TINNED FISH SANDWICH
Start my making your dressing. In a small bowl combine olive oil, dijon mustard, lemon juice and salt + pepper. Remove the bones from your sardines and place in a separate bowl with your tuna. Be gentle when breaking it apart so it doesn’t turn mushy!
Add raisins, peppers, lemon zest, chopped dill, and a good bit of cracked pepper to your tinned fish. Pour your dressing over and give it a taste to adjust for seasonings like more salt and pepper or another squeeze of lemon.
Make your salad topping by combining arugula and julienned watermelon radishes with a dash of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Finally, make your dijonaise by combining equal parts mayo and dijon mustard. Slather your toasted bread with dijonnaise, then tuna salad, and finally your arugula salad.
YOU CAN ALSO MAKE:
- Roasted Vegetable and Burrata Antipasto Sandwich
- Herby Gruyere Creamed Spinach Challah Bread Pudding
- Coriander Scallion Pancakes with Roasted Salmon and Toum
- Creamiest Two-Bean Hummus
If you make these Vegan Rugelach Cookies please let me know by leaving a rating/review below! And make sure to sign up for emails so you never miss a new recipe and follow along on my Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more About to Sprout goodness!
Recipe
Best Ever Tinned Fish Sandwich
Ingredients
Tinned Fish Salad
- 2 cans tuna In Water
- 2 cans sardines In Water
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp raisins
- 2 roasted red peppers chopped (from Jar or piquillo peppers from salad bar)
- ¼ cup chopped dill
- 2 tsp. lemon zest
- salt + pepper to taste
- 1 large loaf of ciabatta or french bread
Salad Topping
- 2 cups arugula
- ¼ cup julienned watermelon radishes
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- pinch of salt
Dijonnaise
- ¼ cup dijon mustard
- ¼ cup mayo
Instructions
- Make your dressing in a small bowl by combining olive oil, dijon mustard, lemon juice and salt + pepper.
- Remove the bones from your sardines and place in a separate bowl with your tuna. Be gentle when breaking it apart so it doesn’t turn mushy!
- Add raisins, chopped peppers, lemon zest, chopped dill, and a good bit of cracked pepper to your tinned fish.
- Pour your dressing over fish and give it a taste to adjust for seasonings like more salt and pepper or another squeeze of lemon.
- Make your salad topping by combining arugula and julienned watermelon radishes with a dash of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
- Finally, make your dijonaise by combining equal parts mayo and dijon mustard.
- Slather your toasted bread with dijonnaise, then tuna salad, and finally your arugula salad.
Made this and it was one of the best homemade sandwiches I've had!
I did not bother removing the bones from the sardines. I used to be squirmish about them, but you don't notice them at all.
Hey Pip! I am SO glad to hear that! I think tinned fish is so underrated, so I am thrilled to know how much you loved it. It is one of my go-to recipes for sure!!
This was delicious! The perfect light dinner on a hot summer night! I substituted a few ingredients to make use of what I had! I used Mama Lil’s peppers (spicy), lime, currants, a dash of sumac and fennel fronds. It was so yummy! I can’t wait to make it again! Thank you! @relishguru
Victoria
That sounds wonderful! Love how versatile sandwiches are. So glad you loved!