Sherried Sardine Toast

AAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMAzing. I loved this to the max. I might eat it every day.

Scot was majorly not looking forward to this while I was putting it together in the kitchen. He said it smelled like bait. Like minnows. Well, duh. It does smell like fish. And if you have a problem with that, then you will either not like this or have you plug your nose while eating it. I recommend just getting over it. Because Scot did like it after he got over it.

Secondly, this has a lot of good stuff going on. One...oily fish. Sardines are in the category of oily fish with lots of omega-3's. All you boyz out there are supposed to have LOTS of omega-3's. Women too. But apparently less. Something about babies and being pregs. I don't know what that means. Avocado is also a good fat. I was kind of fascinated by the episode this recipe is from. Alton lost 50 lbs and he did a show on his new diet. And I totally agree with it. He organizes it in a series of list, here it is:

Daily

- Fruits

- Whole Grains

- Leafy Greens

- Nuts

- Carrots

- Green Tea

3 times a week

- Oily Fish

- Yogurt

- Broccoli

- Sweet Potato

- Avocado

Once a week

- Red meat

- Pasta

- Dessert

- Alcohol

NEVER!

- Fast Food

- Soda

- Processed meals/frozen dinners

- Canned soup

- Diet anything

PLUS: Eat breakfast every day, no exceptions.

Not that I do it. We eat a lot of pasta and carbs, in general. But, we (Scot) might have a slightly different lifestyle than Alton. And, you know, other things. I am not really into diets or eating rules. I would call this list a great lifestyle, though. Except, I don't see anything in there about coffee. I think he meant to put that on the daily list, right?

Last thing, if you make this, you gotta get good ingredients. Get the brisling sardines. There are a few kinds. Get them packed in oil. And they should be significantly more expensive than the cheapest tin of the other stuff. They should be around $4. The cheapies are probably $1 or less. Obv, the avocado needs to be really ripe. And last, get some good bakery quality bread. YUM. I seriously might just start eating sardines for lunch. With chop sticks. That's what Alton said to do.

Sherried Sardine Toast

recipe courtesy Alton Brown

2 (3.75-ounce 2-layer) tins brisling sardines in olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves, divided

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, reserve the lemon and cut into 4 wedges

Freshly ground black pepper

4 (1/2-inch) thick slices crusty bread, such as sourdough, country loaf or rye

1 ripe Hass avocado

Coarse sea salt

Drain the oil from 1 tin of sardines into a small bowl and set aside. Drain the oil from the other tin into another small bowl and whisk in 1 tablespoon of parsley, vinegar, lemon zest, and black pepper, to taste. Add the sardines, stir to combine and set aside for up to 1 hour.

After 45 minutes, put a rack 3-inches from the broiler and heat the oven to the broiler setting on high. Brush each slice of bread on 1 side with the reserved oil. Put the bread, oil side up, onto a cooling rack set inside a half sheet pan and broil 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

Halve the avocado and remove the pit. Smash the flesh in each half with a fork. Spread the avocado evenly onto the toasted bread. Top evenly with the sardines. Pour any remaining dressing on top and garnish with the remaining parsley. Season lightly with sea salt and serve with lemon wedges.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 75 min., Cook time: 5 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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