{sardines}
So cute, right? Makes canned fish seem less intimidating.
Too bad I got all the way home and halfway into my first Caesar salad making attempt before I remembered that sardines are not the same as anchovies and anchovies are what you need. Sigh. I still made the salad, but it was noticeably lacking.
I never used to care for Caesar salads but a spate of good ones lately has swayed me. My fave so far is the tableside Caesar at Nick & Stef's but it's all the way downtown. It seems like it should be so easy to recreate but none of the recipes I've found seem quite right.
Also, I am still scared of anchovies. So there's that.
i love that you bought the cutest tin! anchovies remind me of the story my parents told us about how after my sister was born, my mom asked my dad to go pick up a pizza becase the hospital food was bad. and he came back with a pizza covered in anchovies. what i would have paid to see her face. needless to say, she wasn't happy and my dad had a lot of apologizing (and then sat down to eat the whole thing.) random but, anyways, hope the next ceasar salad making attempt goes well!
ReplyDeleteYou can also but anchovy paste, which can be easier to work with, especially when you need the flavor and not necessarily the texture (as in salad dressing).
ReplyDeleteI would also suggest using anchovy paste. So much easier to work with!
ReplyDeleteI'm a sucker for packaging too, so I don't blame you. Ceasar salad is my favorite and my favorite recipe happens to belong to the mother of my ex-boyfriend. I never thought to ask...sigh.
ReplyDeleteI was going to suggest anchovies paste, but your smart readers beat me to it. It's much easier to store the leftovers. I love anchovies, so I've never had a problem eating the extras in sandwiches, pizza, etc. but they can be a bit much for some. Like my husband. He thinks they are vulgar. I keep trying to tell him they are basically salt licks that swim, but he won't be swayed. I always ask for anchovies on top of my Caesar salad and am immediately suspicious of a restaurant that offers them but does not have anchovies in the house.
ReplyDeletethe secret is Worcestershire sauce :)
ReplyDeleteThe cutest bottle is how I buy wine, so I respect your anchovy choice. Anchovy paste is a good way to go, as is anchovies blended in a food processor with the rest of your salad dressing... You're using bacon, right? What are you doing with the bacon fat? Because if you're not putting it in the dressing (or using it to cook tourtiere filling), you're missing out.
ReplyDeleteI remember being told by a waiter once that their caesar salad dressing was bacon fat, lemon juice, anchovy paste, garlic and parmesan. I still ordered it, but I went for a run the next morning...so worth it.
ew. Hey, at least the packaging gave you a pretty picture. I'm a total sucker for marketing too. Better luck next time =)
ReplyDelete- Sarah
http://agirlintransit.blogspot.com
all fish in cans (or fish who still have their heads) creeps me out. *shudders*
ReplyDeleteThat said, the sardine tin is really cute.
Well at least you now have the cutest tin ever! I don't know where you shop but I'm really jealous, because I'm pretty sure that Wal-Mart and Kroger (my only options around here) do not carry anything close to being that cute.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I've never bought anchovies or sardines because I just think they sound gross. Based on the comments, maybe I should get over this?
Well, at least the packaging is great :-)
ReplyDeleteI have never had a caesar salad with any kind of fish on it - you just blew my mind!
ReplyDeleteBut, if you're on a canned fish kick, definitely get some kippers (in the orange tin) to put on Ritz crackers with cream cheese.
gosh I love a tableside caesar. it would inspire me to love anchovies... except I already do. right out of the tin :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Caesar-Mayonnaise-Dressing-11892 -- this is my go to recipe for caesar dressing.
ReplyDeleteI always substitute half the mayonnaise for plain yogurt to make it a little healthier and extra garlic if you like garlic flavor!
Another vote for anchovy paste. It's available at most grocery stores and is so much easier to use and store. I was always turned off by the fact that anchovies melt when you cook them. With anchovy paste the worst part is already taken of.
ReplyDeleteI use Martha Stewart's recipe in the Great Food Fast cookbook (I think it's the same as this one, but this one also looks viable). I do use more anchovies & more garlic than the recipe calls for, though.
ReplyDeleteHaha what a cute post! I LOVE caesar salad but I don't know how to make the authentic dressing. Let us know if you find a great recipe!
ReplyDeleteI would've definitely bought that tin too - it is gorgeous! No companies in NZ seem to pay that much attention to canned fish... but there you go.
ReplyDeleteHaha oh my goodness - I recently bought those same exact sardines! But in the tomato sauce. They were delish!
ReplyDeletesmall fish and me are not on good terms....oh how I've tried.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck!
http://kartepaper.blogspot.com/
I'm actually happy to see that I'm not the only person who commonly confuses sardines and anchovies. Either way, they're both nasty little fish that I won't eat (unless they're blended in my Caesar salad without my knowing, haha). That tin is TOTALLY cute, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestions, guys! I will put anchovy paste on the shopping list.
ReplyDeleteAnd I notice that the recipe suggestions you guys have offered up have used mayo. I was thinking of sticking to raw eggs, to be traditional and all (and also because I like to prove that I am not afraid of raw eggs!), but now I'm starting to be swayed.
Does anyone still use raw eggs for their Caesar?
Will check out more recipes and report back (eventually).
I haven't tried a recipe with raw eggs (I'm tempted to try one day!), but I feel like using mayo is a short cut since mayo is basically egg + oil + acid + salt.
ReplyDeleteI agree, cute tin! All of you are more adventurous than I am, I can't get over the raw egg or anchovy factor to make my own dressing but I do love caesar salad. Let us know what you end up using for a recipe!
ReplyDeleteagreed re: anchovies. they look like disembodied eyebrows.
ReplyDeletei'm vegan but i find i get an amazingly tangy caesar dressing by using capers and a bit of their brine in my dressing (along with white miso, garlic, olive oil and nutritional yeast). yum. now i must go make a caesar salad.
ReplyDeleteCaesar salads are a favorite of mine and I really miss them...they have raw egg in them usually and that is a no no when you're pregnant.
ReplyDeleteMmm craving some now...
www.colleenandkeith.blogspot.com
I'll admit it, I'm not the world's greatest anchovy fan. But I do love a good caesar salad! In fact I might create a 'Holly' version of it for dinner tonight, sub the anchovies for this gorgeous purple olive salt I found earlier this year and the mayo for part aioli and greek yoghurt, or have a go at the dressing from scratch. I do like the vegan suggestion above (jess @ cupcakes and kale), sounds very delish!
ReplyDeletei like a caesar with raw eggs, personally. there are some AMAZING caesar salads in the bay area, so i always skip making my own.
ReplyDeleteas for the sardines... joe and i went on our first post-baby date a couple weeks ago. we ordered crostini that were topped with a white bean spread, a sliver of roasted red bell pepper, and a sardine. super simple, super fantastic, and i'll definitely be recreating at home.
Damn, that's a good-looking tin. It's funny to think about the guy who says, "I'd really like to get into the sardine business" being the same guy to pick out that tin design.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Cesar salads but have yet to make one because of my fear of anchovies. I know I should, but a) anchovies and b) even though salads are much cheaper to make at home, a great restaurant salad is unbeatable.
ReplyDeleteBest sardine can EVER. So beautiful!
ReplyDelete♥
Camila Faria
Those little fish totally freak me out too!
ReplyDeleteI get to stock these at the co-op from time to time. THEY MAKE ME SO HAPPY.
ReplyDeletewe buy them at costco... also they are good if you cook them in a bit of olive oil and toss with pasta and your favorite hard cheese. I never really liked them until i had them that way, it gives it a more subtle flavor than biting into one on top of pizza.
ReplyDelete