Sardine Rillettes (France)
A craveable spread made with sardines, cream cheese, lemon, parsley and spices. Spread it on crackers or slices of toasted baguette for a quick appetizer or light meal.
Equipment
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
Ingredients
- 3 4.25 oz. Cans Sardines in Oil Drained and Deboned (If They Aren't Already)
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley About 6 Sprigs
- 2 Oz. Cream Cheese Softened
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Powder
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Mix everything together with a fork, breaking up the sardines until they form a chunky paste. You can blitz the mixture in a blender instead of mashing it with a fork, but it is easy to overdo it.3 4.25 oz. Cans Sardines in Oil, 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley, 2 Oz. Cream Cheese, 1 tsp Lemon Juice, 1/4 tsp Cayenne Powder
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. I usually start with no additional salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Consider adding a little extra lemon juice if you think it needs more zing.Salt and Pepper to Taste
- Chill at least two hours until completely chilled through. The contrast goes well with the slight heat of the cayenne.
- Serve on crackers or toasted baguette rounds. It goes well with cornichons (mini dill pickles).
Rillettes are a coarser version of the more commonly recognized pâté. While pâté is commonly made of finely minced organ meats (think liver), the most quintessential rillette is a slow-cooked pork confit shredded finely and mixed with the fat it cooked in (French food is full flavor, if you catch my drift). Other common rillettes are made with salmon and, as shown here, sardines.