The first time I enjoyed sardine rillettes was in Paris. It was served as a room temperature appetizer to be spread lovingly on baguette. It’s one of those dishes that is humble and inexpensive, but packs a ton of flavor. If you’re nervous about eating sardines — or perhaps have never tried them! — rillettes is a great way to highlight their natural flavor in an approachable way.
But first, what is rillettes? It’s a French method of preservation, very similar to confit, wherein meats, poultry, or seafood generally cook for a lengthy period while covered in fat until they break down into a paste-like consistency. The beauty of making rillettes with canned sardines is, well… there’s no cooking required! We’re still mixing the fish with a good amount of fat (Greek yogurt and butter), but it’s like eating canned tuna — no need to cook before eating!
Here’s why we love this appetizer so much:
- Affordable: if you can find fresh sardines, great, but if not, canned sardines are great! Go for something high quality, it still won’t break the bank. Canned sardines are inexpensive!
- Creamy: the mixture of Greek yogurt and softened butter gives the rillettes a smooth, creamy texture.
- Easily adaptable: a variety of fresh herbs will work, and if you don’t have Greek yogurt, you can substitute with creme fraiche or sour cream. Either will bring down the fishiness of the sardines, giving the fish an overall more mild flavor.
- Quick to make: while we recommend letting the rillettes set in the refrigerator for an hour or so after mixing, the entire recipe takes minutes to make. The longest part is removing the sardine bones, which is extremely quick and simple.
If you’re a fan of creamy hot-smoked salmon salad or a canned tuna salad, there’s a real chance you’ll like this too.
Ingredients For Sardine Rillettes
- Tinned or canned sardines in olive oil
- Greek yogurt
- Unsalted butter, room temperature
- Capers, drained and roughly chopped
- Herbs: fresh chives and dill
- Lemon zest and juice
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Sardine Rillettes
- Remove the sardine bones. Use your hands or a small fork to gently open up each sardine (kind of like a book). The bones will be visible on one side of the fillet, and should easily lift away. Discard the bones, then place the fish fillets into a medium bowl.
- Mash the sardines. Use a fork to gently mash the sardines into a paste-like consistency.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add 4 Tbsp Greek yogurt, 2 Tbsp room temperature butter, 1 Tbsp capers, 1 Tbsp chives, 1 Tbsp chopped dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, ½ Tbsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Stir gently to combine.
- Refrigerate. Cover tightly, then refrigerate rillettes for 1 hour.
- Serve. Allow the rillettes to come up slightly to room temperature, then serve with crackers or baguette.
This rillettes recipe will keep for up to
Variations On Rillettes
- Don’t have Greek yogurt? Substitute with either sour cream or creme fraiche.
- Other herbs that work well in sardine rillettes: parsley or chervil are wonderful!
- Rillettes can be made from a variety of meats, poultry, or seafood, including: duck, pork, salmon, chicken, rabbit, smoked salmon, or crab.
FAQs About Sardine Rillettes
- Anchovies vs Sardines – what’s the difference? Anchovies are smaller, saltier, and undergo curing before brining, whereas sardines have a more mild taste. Also, anchovies are the fishier of the two in terms of flavor, and much more oily.
- Can I use fresh sardines? Oh, absolutely! Fresh sardines are perfect, but using high quality tinned sardines is great too. Use what you’ve got or what you’re able to find! In the United States, it’s a little more difficult to walk into a grocery store or market and find fresh sardines. In Europe, where sardines are more popular, they’re easier to source fresh.
- I don’t like sardines. Can I use another fish? You could opt for something more mild, such as canned tuna, but it will not pack the same punch that tinned sardines have. Depending on who you ask, that may or may not be a good thing!
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For more simple appetizer recipes, check out our smoked salmon 7-layer dip, marinated feta, and cherry tomato confit!
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15-Minute Sardine Rillettes (with Fresh or Canned Fish)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tins sardines in olive oil
- 4 Tbsp Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 Tbsp capers drained and roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp chives finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Remove the sardine bones. Use your hands or a small fork to gently open up each sardine (kind of like a book). The bones will be visible on one side of the fillet, and should easily lift away. Discard the bones, then place the fish fillets into a medium bowl.
- Mash the sardines. Use a fork to gently mash the sardines into a paste-like consistency.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add 4 Tbsp Greek yogurt, 2 Tbsp room temperature butter, 1 Tbsp capers, 1 Tbsp chives, 1 Tbsp chopped dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, ½ Tbsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Stir gently to combine.
- Refrigerate. Cover tightly, then refrigerate rillettes for 1 hour. Serve. Allow the rillettes to come up slightly to room temperature, then serve with crackers or baguette.
Notes
- Fresh sardines are great in this recipe if you’re able to find them!
- This recipe will keep for up to 3 days in a refrigerator.
- Don’t have Greek yogurt? Substitute with either sour cream or creme fraiche.
Let us know your thoughts!