• mjes on July 15, 2021

  The Gilda (pg 42) - a simple pintxo - guindilla pepper, Manzanilla olive, anchovy on a tooth pick. Simple, quick, and good ... if only my grocer didn't believe pitted Manzanilla olives should come pre-stuffed with anchovy.

• mjes on July 15, 2021

  Deviled eggs with sardines (pg 73) specifies tinned sardines with chili peppers. Naturally, the only tinned sardines with chili I had were local Raincoast Trading Pacific sardines with chili and lime ... sounded close enough for me. However, I then substituted lime juice for the lemon juice in the recipe. Thinking that moved the deviled eggs a bit towards Mexico, a Mexican hot sauce seemed in order - Cholula chili lime. The yolks were to be mixed with mayonnaise, butter, yellow mustard, tarragon, and chives. Because I hate the most common American yellow mustard, it is banned from my house. A nice Swedish mustard seemed to fit the bill. Net result was a very decent deviled egg - nice to add variety to a plate of eggs but it won't be replacing my standards.

• mjes on July 15, 2021

  Anchovy, Parsley, and Pecorino Sandwich (pg 31) - think of sandwich spread of olive oil, anchovy, parsley, garlic, and lemon juice; think filling of young sheep's cheese and roasted bell peppers. Serve hot. Yes, this is an endlessly repeatable as the roasted vegetable is an optional whatever meets your fancy.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Fusilli with sardines, 'nduja, and pecorino

  • SheilaS on July 03, 2022

    This very flavorful for such a quick, easy dish - kind of an umami bomb. I'd add about an equal volume of green vegetables - zucchini, peppers, rapini, etc - along with the pasta to make it a bit less rich and add some textural contrast. I threw a bunch of steamed broccoli in with the leftovers and liked it better that way.

• Smoked mackerel salad with beets, horseradish, and crème fraîche

  • jenmacgregor18 on March 28, 2023

    I used sardines, standard-sized beets cut into pieces, and cultured sour cream. I couldn't find fresh horseradish anywhere. I added some cayenne for some bite and some sunflower seeds for crunch. This was quite good and ridiculously simple to make.

• Mackerel cakes with cabbage and cilantro

  • Maefleur on April 16, 2025

    I didn't have cabbage, but I had some little gem lettuce. I quartered the lettuce, tossed with the scallions and cilantro, and drizzled with the dressing. A nice refreshing accompaniment to the flavorful fish cakes.

• Fettuccine with mackerel, sun gold tomatoes, and Parmesan

  • Acarroll on January 29, 2024

    My husband thought this was a 5, I couldn't finish it because I used sardines and I hate sardines! (I'm trying to like them because I have a lot of them). I doubled the tomatoes, I would quadruple next time and also go way up on the fresh herbs. I used parsley instead of basil which was a nice substitute.

• Mackerel, in place of tuna, salad

  • jenmacgregor18 on April 04, 2023

    This is a solid salad, reminiscent of tuna. I would certainly make it again. I used what I had on hand, so I left out the cukes and subbed green onion, parsley, and cilantro for chives, dill, and tarragon. Subbed sardines for mackerel. The aromatics, dijon, and lemon help balance it out. So, it's not too fishy.

• Spaghetti with smoked oysters and egg yolks

  • celeste_8ryupw on February 14, 2026

    Beautiful fresh take on Carbonara! Don’t skip the chives!