The Tinned Fish You Should Be Adding To Fried Rice

Fried rice has always been a beloved home for all the bits and pieces of food sitting in your fridge, no matter what they might be — day-old grains, a stray egg, some veggie scraps from the salad you had the other day. And just when you think you've tried every easy protein that could possibly go in this dish, like frozen shrimp, ground beef, canned salmon, or leftover rotisserie chicken, along comes tinned sardines. Unlike some of the aforementioned choices, sardines don't simply fade into the background. They're there to make your fried rice the most flavorful it's ever been.

The one thing you can always count on with sardines is saltiness, beyond the mere one-dimensional kind. Packed in oil, tomato sauce, soy sauce, mustard, or even chili, they add layer upon layer of richness to your fried rice. The brine soaks into the rice, coating every morsel in a savory, tangy depth, while the fish adorns an oceanic depth. Rather than seamlessly folding into the remaining ingredients, it stands out spectacularly. You get glimpses of it in little bites where the sardines melt fully into the rice, and others where a chunk of the fish leaves a flavor punch your taste buds won't soon forget.

Canned sardines have so many uses, and that might have something to do with how convenient they are. Just pop open the tin, flake them into the sizzling hot pan, and stir them into your rice. If your canned sardines are brined with oil or a sauce, immediately draining them out might just be one of the biggest mistakes you could make when using canned sardines. Save it and add a little bit into the dish for extra flavors. It's naturally salty, so don't forget to adjust the remaining seasonings to keep the profile balanced. Moreover, sardines cook very quickly, so you need to work fast. Consider gently sauteing the fish for less than a minute, put it aside, and then throw it back into the pan near the end.

And what would the rest of the pan need to have? Nothing out of the ordinary — still rice, vegetables, aromatics, and staple condiments and seasonings. The aromatics, in particular, can be a secret weapon should you ever need a simple way to elevate the dish's taste profile. Garlic, onion, and scallions make the perfect trio for a simple yet captivating sardine fried rice. An Island-style twist, bearing influence from the Caribbean dish sardine rice, might have you reaching for a tomato-based canned sardines, fresh tomatoes, and scotch bonnet chile pepper. Those who love the heat might revel in the tangy heat of kimchi instead, and maybe add a scoop of gochujang and red pepper flakes while you're at it.