When I was a kid, one of the meals my mother made regularly was salami and eggs. Sardines and scrambled eggs is a lovely spinoff that I’ve been enjoying at home for many months now. It’s simple, takes only a few minutes to make, is good for you, and is terrifically tasty. We have the crazy good Cornwall-caught, canned-in-Spain, sardines from Fishwife that we served at the SafeHouse Jelly Bean Jump Up dinner (thank you Fishwife folks, for donating), as well as the excellent Ortiz sardines caught on the Cantabrian Sea and canned in Basque Country. I don’t want to forget the wonderful vintage sardines we’ve scored from Portugal (more on these soon) either!
Crack some eggs into a mixing bowl and stir gently. Add a spoonful or two of good mustard and mix again. Warm a bit of good olive oil or butter in a skillet over moderate heat. (If you like a more intense flavor, you can use the olive oil from the tin as your cooking oil.) When the oil is moderately hot, add the sardines. Move them gently in the skillet so they get warm all around, then add the beaten eggs to the pan. When the eggs begin to firm up around the edges, pull them back towards the middle using a spatula. Add a spoonful or three of the Creamery’s artisan Cream Cheese, Goat Cream Cheese, or Farm Cheese. If you have fresh dill or tarragon, add a bit of those as well. Again, when the eggs are getting firmer on the edges, pull them back towards the center of the pan. Mix gently until the eggs are cooked to your liking, the cream cheese is soft, and the sardines are warm, but still in reasonably good-sized pieces.
Place the sardines and scrambled eggs on warm plates, add salt and pepper to taste! Eat and enjoy with a green salad or whatever else you like on the side! Or make a bit of toast with your favorite Bakehouse bread, brush with olive oil, mustard and/or mayonnaise, and gently slide the eggs on top. Add a bit of really good freshly ground black pepper, eat and enjoy!
